Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Leicester City and Manchester United at the King Power Stadium! Both sides come into this one in need of a victory, with the champions finding themselves battling relegation and United hoping not to miss a chance to close the gap on the top four for the second time in the space of a week. It promises to be an intriguing affair but, before we look at that, let's check out the team news...

LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Drinkwater, Ndidi, Musa, Mahrez; Okazaki, Vardy

LEICESTER SUBS: Zieler, Chilwell, Benalouane, King, Albrighton, Kapustka, Gray

MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Rojo; Herrera, Pogba, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Ibrahimovic

MAN UTD SUBS: Romero, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Lingard, Young, Martial

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, the hosts have made just two changes to the side that fell to a late defeat at the hands of Burnley last time out, with both of those coming in attacking positions. Summer signing Ahmed Musa is handed a rare Premier League start - just his seventh of the season - in place of Albrighton, while Shinji Okazaki returns to the starting XI as Demarai Gray drops to the bench.

The inclusion of Musa in a particularly interesting one given how poor Leicester have been in attack over the past month or so. The winger has all of the attributes to cause any defence all sorts of problems, and with Riyad Mahrez on the opposite flank that has the potential to be a devastating partnership. Neither have really got going so far this season, though, and today would be an timely game for that to change as far as Ranieri is concerned.

Mahrez and Vardy were the men who created the most headlines on the way to last season's scarcely-believable title success, but both have struggled to come anywhere near that sort of form again this time around. Indeed, the duo have been involved in 28 fewer Premier League goals this season than they had at the same stage of last season, which is a major reason why Leicester have performed so badly compared to their fairytale campaign last term. Vardy does, however, have two goals and two assists in two previous Premier League home games against United.

Elsewhere for Leicester, there are no changes in the middle of the park as Drinkwater and Ndidi continue, while the back five remains the same as Ranieri's first choice from the title-winning season. Needless to say, they have also failed to emulate last term's performances so far this time around despite that quartet of Simpson, Morgan, Huth and Fuchs - with Schmeichel behind them - remaining the same.

The headline news for as far as United are concerned regards the absence of Wayne Rooney from the squad, with the skipper and record goalscorer missing out due to illness this afternoon. It is a very attacking lineup chosen by Jose Mourinho, though, with the likes of Carrick and Fellaini both left on the bench. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has 14 Premier League goals to his name this season, leads the line for the visitors despite having failed to score in his last three outings.

Behind the Swede is the trio of Mata, Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford, all of whom have the ability to pick apart the Leicester defence if they are given enough space. Mata and Rashford both scored in the reverse fixture - as did Pogba, who is expected to play in a slightly deeper role alongside Herrera this afternoon - while Mkhitaryan has established himself as a key player in Mourinho's plans having finally broken into the team.

Mata's inclusion is one of three changes made by Mourinho this afternoon, with the Spaniard replacing Carrick in the starting XI. The other two changes come in defence, where Bailly returns following his stint at the Africa Cup of Nations and Smalling also comes back into the first team. It is Bailly's first United appearance of the year, replacing the injured Phil Jones, while Smalling comes in for Blind and Rojo moves out to the left.

Anthony Martial has to make do with a place on the bench, meanwhile, with the French winger having been publicly criticised by Mourinho on a few occasions recently. The United boss has left Martial in no doubt that he wants to see more from him, but with the form of Mkhitaryan and others in similar positions to him, chances to do so may be increasingly few and far between as the season progresses.

Leicester come into this match in a very precarious position in terms of the Premier League table, with results yesterday not helping their cause whatsoever. Worryingly for the Foxes, both Hull and Sunderland seem to be coming into a bit of form having won yesterday, while Swansea had also won back-to-back matches prior to today's game against Manchester City - which they look like losing having just conceded in the 92nd minute to fall 2-1 behind. Leicester need to find a bit of form soon if they are to stay ahead of those in the bottom three.

After yesterday's results, Leicester's gap to the relegation zone was cut to just one point, while they are just two off bottom - a far cry from last season when they led the way. Indeed, Leicester were a full 15 places and 26 points better off at the same stage of their title-winning campaign, which if anything goes to show just how remarkable last season's achievement was. Ranieri has urged his players to forget those heroics and focus on a relegation battle though, which is a sign of how drastically things have changed for his side in the space of just nine months.

Leicester's season has been so poor so far that it is almost easy to forget just how impressive they were last season. Their performance this term is the worst title defence in English top-flight history so far, with the Foxes having amassed just 21 points from 23 games. The mathematicians amongst you won't need me to tell you that their points-per-game average will bring them in below the magic 40-point mark if they carry on like this for the rest of the campaign, which could lead to the possibility of the champions getting relegated.

Ranieri's side are still searching for their first Premier League win of 2017 having draw one and lost each of their last three outings since the turn of the year. Another defeat this afternoon would see them fall to a fourth on the bounce for the first time since February 2015 when Nigel Pearson was in charge, and that could well happen considering Leicester have not even managed to score in their opening four games of the year yet.

Indeed, Leicester are just the fifth team in Premier League history to have gone their first four games of a calendar year without scoring, following in the unenviable footsteps of Newcastle (2008), Swansea (2011), Hull (2014) and Aston Villa (2015). Another blank this afternoon would write Leicester's name in the book of unwanted Premier League records as no team has ever failed to score in their first five games of a calendar year.

The big hope for Leicester this afternoon is their home form, which has just about been enough to keep their heads above water so far this season. The Foxes have picked up 18 of their 21 points in front of their own fans, winning five, drawing three and losing three at home compared to no wins, three draws and nine defeats on the road. Including last season, Leicester have lost just three of their last 26 home league games, although those three defeats have all come in their last six outings - as many as in the previous 32.

Leicester are today hoping to avoid back-to-back home Premier League defeats for the first time in two years having been beaten by Chelsea in their most recent league game here. However, only Middlesbrough and Hull have scored fewer goals than the Foxes in the top flight this season, with their tally of 24 being a full 18 fewer than at the same stage of the previous campaign. Only Boro have conceded fewer in the bottom seven, but their defensive record is still not good enough to make up for that attacking performance this season.

There are plenty of reasons for United fans to be optimistic heading into this match then, even if the last Manchester club to visit the King Power were well beaten 4-2 in a rare glimpse of last season's form from the Foxes. United will certainly be confident of avoiding such a convincing defeat considering they come into this match unbeaten in 14 Premier League outings - the longest current run in Europe's top five leagues.

Despite not being beaten since October, though, United have not moved from sixth in the table and still have plenty of work to do if they are to break into the top four. Draws have been the bane of United's season so far, with Mourinho's men having shared the spoils on a league-high nine occasions. Only Spurs have lost fewer games that United's three, but their nine draws have accounted for 18 dropped points, which have proved so costly for them this term.

As many as seven of their ongoing 14-match unbeaten streak have been draws, including their last three league outings. Another stalemate this afternoon would make it four in a row in the Premier League for the first time since a run of five in 1992. The damage those draws have done is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that United are now 17 points adrift of Chelsea following the Blues' win over Arsenal yesterday. It is a huge 'What if?' but if United had turned all of those draws into wins then they would be top of the table by a point.

Even a victory this afternoon would not lift them out of sixth place following City's 2-1 win over Swansea earlier today, but defeats for Liverpool and Arsenal yesterday mean that they would be able to close the gap on the top four. A win for United here would see them move to within two points of the top four and just one behind Liverpool. However, the Red Devils have only won one of their last five games in all competitions, and that came against Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

That recent dip in form came after a run of nine straight wins in all competitions, but they have still managed to progress into the EFL Cup final and saunter into the last 16 of the FA Cup too. The 17-point gap to Chelsea is too big an ask to overhaul with only 15 games left of the season but, with the Europa League starting again later this month, United are still in with a chance of winning three trophies and finishing in the top four, which would have to go down as a successful first season at the helm for Mourinho.

United are currently unbeaten in their last six Premier League away games, winning four and drawing two, which is currently the longest run in the division and their best streak since a seven-game one from November 2014 to February 2015. United actually have a better record on the road this season than they do at home, amassing 21 points in each case but playing one game fewer away. No team has lost fewer away games this season, while only Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool have amassed more points on the road.

There is, of course, still work to do for United under Mourinho, but the general consensus is that they are making progress. They are actually one place worse off than at the same stage under Louis van Gaal last season, but they are also five points better off and look to be showing some of their old trademarks again. The most obvious of those in recent weeks has been the last goals, with United's last eight strikes in the Premier League having come in the final 30 minutes of games - including six from the 82nd minute onwards. Compare that to just two goals scored in the opening 15 minutes of games through the entire season and it is easy to see where United are strongest in matches.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the King Power Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is quite a tricky one to call, with United struggling a little for form right now and Leicester having been much better at home this season than they have on the road. Both sides could really do with a win, and a narrow away victory would not be a surprise at all, but I'm going to plump for a 1-1 draw.

The standout meeting between these two sides in recent years came in September 2014 when Leicester, then managed by Nigel Pearson and fighting relegation in their first season back in the top flight, twice came from two goals down to earn a stunning 5-3 victory over United here at the King Power. However, that is Leicester only win over United in their last 17 meetings across all competitions, with three draws and 13 defeats in that time too.

United had won 10 games in a row against Leicester before that 5-3 defeat, while in the Premier League era they have been beaten just two times in 21 league meetings between the two sides, winning 13 and drawing six. Just one of those defeats have come in their last 15 clashes too, with United having won 11 of those, scoring 37 goals in the process.

As I have already alluded to, Leicester thrashed Manchester City here earlier this season, and another win for the Foxes today would see them beat both Manchester clubs at home in the same top-flight campaign for the first time since 1975-76. The reverse fixture, though, turned out to be very one-sided in United's favour, with Mourinho's men racing into a 4-0 lead before half time courtesy of a flurry of three goals in five minutes. United's last visit here, meanwhile, ended in a 1-1 draw which was most notable for Vardy breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record by scoring in his 11th consecutive Premier League game.

This will be Leicester's 2,000th match in the top flight of English football, with the Foxes having won 642, drawn 526 and lost 831 of the previous 1,999 0 a win percentage of just 32.1%. We're just minutes away from finding out whether they can slightly improve that record to greatly improve their hopes of survival.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Manchester United get us underway at the King Power Stadium!

Slow start to the game at the King Power are both sides try to settle into it. Neither of those two teams have started particularly well of late, so perhaps we shouldn't expect an early goal here.

Almost an early chance for the Foxes as a cross is directed towards Huth at the back post, but Rojo does really well to nod the ball over his own crossbar.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the game takes just five minutes to arrive as Drinkwater is shown yellow for a cynical pull on Mata to stop a counter-attack.

SAVE! The first save comes from Schmeichel as Ibrahimovic flicks the ball out to Rojo, who tries to first a first-time half-volley towards goal. He cuts across it and gets it on target, but it is easy for the Leicester keeper.

Leicester are doing a decent job of getting about the United players and making this quite scrappy at the moment. Neither side have been able to keep the ball very well so far.

Not more to report from the last couple of minutes, with the ball stuck in the middle third as both sides have a few throw-ins in quick succession.

The ball has not stayed on the field for more than a few seconds over the course of the past minute or so. It is all very scrappy and uninspiring stuff at the moment.

A minor flash point here as Bailly and Vardy clash off the ball following a clearance from the United defender. There is a tussle on the ground as both try to get the final dig in, but Anthony Taylor leaves his punishment at a free kick to the visitors.

Mahrez tries to do what he did so many times last season as he picks the ball up on the right flank and cuts inside onto his left. Rojo knows the drill, though, and does enough to ensure that the Algerian's eventual effort is never troubling De Gea.

This has not been the greatest 17 minutes of football you will see this season, it must be said. Neither side have been anywhere near their best and there has been a noticeable lack of quality in the game so far.

Almost a chance for Leicester at the far post as they win a free kick in a good crossing position. Mahrez's delivery is flicked on by Vardy towards Morgan, but he can only head the ball into the back of Pogba and it goes behind for a corner.

United have just changed their system a little having struggled to really get going in the opening 20 minutes. It is more of a 4-2-3-1 system now, with Rashford going out wide left.

Almost a chance for Leicester as Herrera's pass is underhit and immediately pounced upon by Vardy. He gives it to the overlapping Musa on the left channel, but Bailly makes an important challenge in the area.

CHANCE! The best chance of the match so far comes the way of United, but Rashford cannot keep it down. Mkhitaryan delivers a cross from the right flank following a sweeping move from the visitors, but the ball bounces just in front of Rashford and he can't keep his half-volley down.

Concern for both teams here as Ibrahimovic goes down under the challenge of Simpson, and both players seem to have hurt themselves in it. It looked like quite a soft free kick, in truth, but Simpson appears to have come off worse.

It looked like quite an innocuous incident between Simpson and Ibrahimovic, but the Leicester full-back is not moving freely at all. He will try to continue, but he looks to be in some pain.

YELLOW CARD! Leicester fans want a red card here as Mata slides in and takes out Vardy late with a poor challenge. The referee only shows a yellow, which is just about the right decision, but the Spaniard was borderline there.

We're half an hour into this match now, and so far it has been a very even affair. Considering the league positions of both sides, Ranieri will be the happier of the two managers right now, but they haven't offered too much in an attacking sense.

United haven't been any better when going forward either, though, with that Rashford chance by far the best opening either side have had so far. The visitors have looked better in possession since changing their system, though.

The visitors' pressure has been steadily growing over the last few minutes, but Leicester are still defending their final third well and looking solid.

SAVE! Almost the opening goal for United, but it is a very smart save from Schmeichel! Ibrahimovic and Pogba combine to find Rashford, who hits a hard and low effort early towards the near post, but Schmeichel gets down really quickly to turn it around the post.

Leicester fail to deal with the resulting corner as Smalling wins the first ball and nods it down, but Pogba just can't connect with it from close range.

Are we in for another late show from United? Their first-half performances in recent weeks really have not been up to scratch - and it has been the same again today - but they have saved themselves on numerous occasions in the closing stages of matches.

The visitors are beginning to knock on the Leicester door, though, and that change of tactics from Mourinho has certainly made them a move cohesive United in possession. It is United who look the most like breaking the deadlock right now.

YELLOW CARD! The third card of the first half is shown to Fuchs, who slides in on Mata but completely misses the ball.

Devastating break from Mkhitaryan to give United the lead just before half time! Smalling flicks the ball to the Armenian just inside the Leicester half, but the real danger arrives when Huth rushes out and tries to win the ball. Mkhitaryan gets there first and from there no-one is catching him. He races through on goal and fires it past Schmeichel.

Just like in the reverse fixture, United seem to have taken this game away from Leicester with quickfire goals before half time. Out of nowhere, the visitors are two ahead as Ibrahimovic steers a low finish through the legs of Morgan and past Schmeichel after being picked out by Valencia's low cross. That is 20 for the season for Ibrahimovic.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half. Just enough time for Ranieri to rip up that team talk and plan a new one.

The first half comes to an end at the King Power, then, and it is United who are suddenly in complete control of the contest following a quickfire double just before half time. It was a pretty dull and uninspiring opening 40 minutes or so, but not for the first time this season United took the game away from Leicester just before half time.

The opening goal arrived with three minutes to go until the interval when Mkhitaryan came up with a moment of quality which had been lacking in the game up to that point. The Armenian collected the ball just inside the Leicester half before beating Huth and racing through on goal and firing past Schmeichel. There was never any catching the winger once he had got past Huth, who committed too easily to allow Mkhitaryan to race through.

One became two just 90 seconds later as Ibrahimovic racked up his 20th goal of the season by turning home Valencia's low cross. The Swede found a yard of space inside the box, and that was all he needed to steer a low shot through the legs of Morgan and past Schmeichel, quite possibly killing the game off before half time.

United had been the better team in the first half, mainly after Mourinho changed his system following a dire opening 20 minutes. Rashford has come close on a couple of occasions, firing one shot over the bar before drawing a very smart low save from Schmeichel with 10 minutes to go until half time. Aside from that and the goals, though, there has been very little action in either box.

KICKOFF: Leicester get us back underway for this second half, and both sides have made changes at the interval. There are two for the Foxes as Andy King and Demarai Gray come on for Musa and Okazaki, while United bring on Daley Blind for Rojo.

That didn't take long! United pick up where they left off at the end of the first half by killing the game off once and for all. It is poor defending from Leicester as Mata exchanges passes with Mkhitaryan on his way into the box and, having been left by Fuchs and played onside by Morgan, he sweeps it past Schmeichel and into the near corner. The Foxes are falling apart either side of half time here.

It was three goals in seven minutes which killed the game off between these two sides at Old Trafford, and it is three in seven again - albeit either side of half time - which has done the damage again today. Leicester are in trouble.

SAVE! The visitors go in search of a fourth here as the ball is slid through to Rashford, who tries a low strike across goal which Schmeichel just about deals with.

United can smell blood here. Leicester have collapsed either side of half time and the visitors, whose goalscoring has been criticised at times this season, want to add more.

YELLOW CARD! Herrera is the latest player to go into the book for a cynical challenge on Vardy as Leicester were looking to break.

YELLOW CARD! Pogba quickly follows his midfield mate into the book for a sliding challenge on Ndidi. Free kick to Leicester in a very good position...

CLOSE! Leicester very nearly get a goal back as Mahrez swings a free kick through the wall which ripples the side-netting. De Gea is rightly unhappy with his wall, which didn't do its job there.

It is damage limitation mode for Leicester now. It is quite easy to see this one turning into a nightmare afternoon for the hosts if they allow it to go that way.

SHOT! Leicester don't seem to have given up on this one yet, though. They win a corner and almost catch United out by playing it quickly, but can only win another corner from it. That second set piece eventually finds its way out to Drinkwater, who drags a low strike a couple of yards wide of the target.

CHANCE! It should be four for United! This is dreadful from Leicester as the defence play offside for Rashford, but allow Mata to run through from a deeper position. The ball over the top finds the Spaniard, who has all the time in the world, but he tries to lift an awkward finish over Schmeichel and can only put it straight into the keeper's hands.

In fairness to Leicester, they have reacted relatively well to that early goal in this second half, preventing things from getting embarrassing so far and pushing for a goal that may just give them a glimmer of hope. They are just looking to flimsy at the back, though.

SHOT! Shooting chance for the home side here as Drinkwater finds himself in a bit of space around 25 yards from goal, but his attempted curler flies well off target.

The atmosphere inside the King Power Stadium is understandably flat at the moment - with the exception of the away fans. Just one point will separate Leicester from the bottom three unless they can pull off a remarkable comeback.

Nothing to report from the last couple of minutes as United just keep the ball and knock it about at their own pace. Both teams seem to know that this game is over as a contest right now.

There is a lack of urgency amongst Leicester when United have the ball at the moment. The visitors are able to pass the ball around comfortably and at will, and Leicester are not doing enough to stop them.

The hosts win a corner, which hits Smalling and goes behind for a second in quick succession. The latter delivery is nodded back into a dangerous area by Morgan, but there are no blue shirts there to turn it home.

United are playing this game at walking pace now, almost mocking Leicester with their three-goal superiority. In truth, there hasn't been too much to separate the two sides apart from that seven-minute spell either side of half time, but this is turning out to be a very comfortable afternoon for the visitors.

MAN UTD SUB: A change from the visitors here as Mata is replaced by Marouane Fellaini.

Crucial challenge from Fuchs, who has not had his best game on the whole today. Mkhitaryan bursts into the box and it looks like trouble for the home side, but Fuchs slides in to make a good, clean tackle.

The Leicester fans are streaming out of the stadium now, and it is hard to know how they will be feeling right now. To be honest, they would have expected a relegation battle last season, so this year's form is perhaps not all that surprising in the grand scheme of things, but they have a right to expect more after the heroics of last term.

CHANCE! Chance for a fourth for United as the ball is pulled back for Mkhitaryan, but the Armenian can't keep his shot down from just inside the area.

MAN UTD SUB: A third and final change from the visitors sees Ashley Young come on in place of Rashford.

Valencia is perhaps a little fortunate to get away without a yellow card for a challenge on Gray here, but it does give Leicester a free kick in a crossing position...

Fuchs swings the ball into the box, but the United defenders attack it more vigorously than the Leicester attackers and deal with the danger easily.

YELLOW CARD! I'm not sure De Gea needs to waste time at 3-0 up, but the Spaniard goes into the book for it nonetheless.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this match.

The referee puts Leicester out of their misery today, then, but the troubled times are far from over for the Foxes. The boos ring down from the fans as Leicester slump off the field following another defeat - that is four in a row now - and another blank, making it five without scoring in the league since the turn of the year. They are now just one point clear of the relegation zone, while at the other end United move to within two points of the Champions League places courtesy of goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Manchester United cruise past Leicester to give their top-four hopes a major boost. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!