Manchester United Face Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City in Sunday Night Clash
Manchester United will take on Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday evening, with an unusual 7:00 PM kickoff time.
United fans making the trip to Leicester may find the late kickoff somewhat inconvenient, as the game—selected for live broadcast on Sky Sports—will finish well into the night.
But why such a late start? The reason is straightforward. Ruben Amorim’s side secured a place in the Europa League quarter-finals in midweek with a solid victory over Real Sociedad. Due to UEFA’s scheduling rules, teams that play in European competitions must have at least 48 hours between matches, making the usual Saturday 12:30 PM slot impossible.
Additionally, TNT Sports will not be airing a fixture this weekend. The broadcaster, which has rights to 52 games across Saturday lunchtime and midweek rounds for the 2024/25 season, is required to skip four weekends throughout the campaign. Instead, TNT covered two matches last weekend, including Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Manchester City and Wolves’ 1-1 draw with Everton.
Sunday’s Broadcast Schedule
Sky Sports has a packed Sunday lineup, starting with Arsenal hosting Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium at 1:30 PM, along with Tottenham facing Fulham at Craven Cottage at the same time.
The Carabao Cup Final, featuring Liverpool against Newcastle United at Wembley, will kick off at 4:30 PM, taking priority in the broadcasting schedule. With no earlier slots available, the Manchester United vs. Leicester clash was pushed to 7:00 PM—the final available TV slot of the weekend.
United’s Strong Record Against Leicester
Manchester United will be aiming to continue their dominance over Leicester this season. The Reds have already defeated the Foxes three times, including a 5-2 Carabao Cup victory at Old Trafford in October—when Van Nistelrooy was still managing United.
A comfortable 3-0 league win followed in early November, and most recently, United came from behind to secure a 2-1 FA Cup victory thanks to goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Harry Maguire, overturning Bobby Decordova-Reid’s first-half opener for Leicester.
As United travel to Leicester for this primetime showdown, they will look to extend their winning streak against Van Nistelrooy’s side while continuing their strong run of form.
