Manchester United midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick won’t be having a Merry Christmas on the pitch this week. Perhaps, if they convalesce well, they can have a happy new year playing the game they love again. Both players are out for the entire run of holiday season fixtures, according to Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
The Red Devils boss told his weekly news conference on Friday:
“Fellaini is not available. Michael Carrick, no. Not for the Christmas period. Valencia is out as you know, Eric Bailly is having surgery right now, or is just finishing or is still there, who else? Nobody else, everything is OK.”
With Fellaini, the issue is quite mysterious, as his knee problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Here’s a link to more on that.
Regarding Carrick, he’s only made one appearance this season, and a couple months ago he underwent a procedure to correct an irregular heart rhythm.
United will definitely need their fringe players for the festive period fixture congestion ahead, and the team may indeed lay an egg in a game here or there during the excessive workload, like they did on Wednesday at Bristol City.
Mourinho admitted his team just didn’t show up to the office that night.
Odds: Leicester City- 15/4, Man Utd- 5/6, Draw- 27/10
MUFC starting XI prediction: go to this link
Full match injury report: go to this link
Prediction: United 2, Leicester City 1
As always, feel free to post your own Man United and/or Leicester City starting XI prediction, as well as your forecast for the final score.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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