Football Bet of the Day: Foxes sensing a cup upset

Manchester United entertain Leicester City in an FA Cup fourth-round tie and the Red Devils will hope for some cup comforts at Old Trafford on Friday night (20:00, ITV 1).

The game features as my Football Bet of the Day for Friday, February 7, which you can check out below.

Ruben Amorim’s men were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Old Trafford last weekend and the results are not what was hoped for when the former Sporting boss was appointed.

Leicester made the strange decision to appoint former United player Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager in November and it’s a move which has yielded only two Premier League wins.

However, the Foxes were 6-2 winners over Championship side QPR in the previous round of the FA Cup and Van Nistelrooy will be hoping to find some more cup magic on his return to Old Trafford.

Manchester United vs Leicester City Odds

Manchester United take on one of the Premier League’s weakest teams in the fourth round of the FA Cup, but at 3/10 the Red Devils make zero punting appeal.

It’s worth remembering that the Red Devils were 1/4 when failing to beat AZ Alkmaar at Old Trafford in the Europa League earlier in the season while they were last seen losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

Wing-back Patrick Dorgu could make his debut for United on Friday night, after joining from Lecce in a deal worth a reported £25m fee, but they have shortages in other areas of the field.

Lisandro Martinez, who has been the Red Devils’ best defensive performer this term, was stretchered off during Sunday’s defeat to Palace and could be out for the season, Luke Shaw hasn’t started a match for his club in nearly a year and Jonny Evans is another out injured.

Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are yet to score a goal in 2025 and the duo were dropped from the starting line-up against Palace, while fellow forward Marcus Rashford left to join Aston Villa on loan.

Tyrell Malacia and Antony also made moves away from Old Trafford, Alejandro Garnacho has been out-of-favour and Mason Mount remains on the sidelines.

Football Odds

Clearly, Amorim is taking a long-term view, but there are a lot of issues for United to absorb on Friday night and the Red Devils look worth taking on.

The Red Devils have registered only four shots on target in their last three Premier League matches and that output will surely leave the hosts open to a cup upset.

Leicester aren’t one of the top-flight’s leading lights, but they can at least take confidence from last month’s 2-1 win at Spurs and it would be no surprise if the Foxes soaked up some pressure before hitting United with their pace on the counter-attack.

Leicester’s 14 away Premier League goals are more than the 11 United have mustered this season and at 8/1 the Foxes can be backed to spring a surprise.

Offers

Build your own Bet Builder bet (3/1+) of 4+ legs on Man United v Leicester and get 50% of your stake back in Free Bets up to £5 if you lose. (Credited within 24 hours)

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any FA Cup game on Friday or Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Sunday’s games. (Credited upon Bet Settlement)

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Bets of the Day at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.