Leicester set to do the unthinkable..."win the league"

Leicester

FILE PHOTO: Leicester players celebrate winning the First Division title

Leicester players celebrate winning the First Division title
Leicester players celebrate winning the First Division title

At the start of the season, Leicester winning the league was simply ‘unthinkable’, they were instead favourites to relegate from the premier league. On paper, pundits expected that they would be the first club back to the Championship while bookmakers were happy to take monies from those who taught Leicester will even survive the drop.

But it is now a reality that Leicester will not only stay in the top flight but they will play Champions League football next season. And if they go on to beat Manchester United today, they will do the “unthinkable”, that is, win the English Premier League.

For Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri he wants a ‘movie-style’ ending to the season as the Foxes look to secure the Premier League title at Old Trafford.

Victory away to Manchester United would see Leicester, who lead second-placed Tottenham by seven points, crowned champions with two games still to play.

Even if they fail to beat United, the Foxes only need three points from three games to be certain of finishing top.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s history and we know this,” Italian Ranieri said.

“It is important to finish the story like an American movie. Always in the final it is OK, a happy ending.”

Having narrowly escaped relegation last season, Leicester are on the verge of one of the most remarkable and unlikely successes in sporting history.

A team that cost less than £30m to assemble and had odds of 5,000-1 to win the league last August requires just three more points to topple the Premier League’s elite.

“It’s a good opportunity but for this reason we have to be focused. Let me be calm, wait, we have time,” Ranieri added.

“I told them: ‘Everything is in our hands and we must continue.’ Other people can enjoy it but I am very concentrated.”

Related News

Meanwhile, United manager Louis van Gaal says his side are planning on “postponing” rather than “spoiling” Leicester’s title celebrations.

“I think we have to beat them because we are still in the race for fourth position,” the Dutchman said.

“We cannot allow that they are the champions this weekend at Old Trafford. I think they shall be the champions a week later. We don’t spoil the party, only postpone it a little bit.”

TEAM NEWS

United could be unchanged from their FA Cup semi-final win for the visit of the Foxes.

Luke Shaw, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Will Keane remain sidelined.

Leicester will be without striker Jamie Vardy, who serves an additional one-match ban for his angry reaction to being sent off against West Ham.

His replacement against Swansea last week, Leonardo Ulloa, will start after overcoming a slight back problem.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

  • Three of Leicester City’s six victories away to Manchester United came before the Second World War. Their most recent triumph was in January 1998 when Tony Cottee scored the game’s only goal.
  • United have won the last six league and cup meetings at Old Trafford, conceding just once.

Manchester United

  • United have won six successive league matches at Old Trafford, keeping clean sheets in five of them.
  • Their record of 11 home wins this season is bettered only by Manchester City (12), who have played a game more.
  • Louis van Gaal’s side have only conceded seven goals in 17 home matches in the Premier League.
  • The Red Devils are still five points shy of their lowest final tally in a Premier League campaign: 64, in 2013-14.
  • Wayne Rooney has scored 99 Premier League goals at Old Trafford. He is yet to score against Leicester in the competition since joining Manchester United.

Leicester City

  • Leicester are unbeaten in nine Premier League matches, winning seven of them.
  • Their tally of 22 league wins this season is a top-flight club record, and as many as they managed in their previous three Premier League campaigns combined.
  • They have the best away record in the division, amassing 11 wins and 37 points from their 17 fixtures.
  • Claudio Ranieri’s side have kept 12 clean sheets in 17 league matches since Boxing Day, including six of the last seven games.
  • The Foxes were relegated three times in their nine previous seasons in the Premier League, and never finished higher than eighth.
  • Leicester are guaranteed to at least equal their highest-ever finish in the top division. They were runners-up in 1929, missing out on the title by a point.
  • Ranieri has won two of his nine Premier League matches as a manager against Manchester United (W2, D5, L2). Both victories were as Chelsea manager.
Load more