Leicester City kick-off the FA Cup weekend with a testing tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
It will be an emotional night for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who will return to the club where he became a legend for the first time since departing as manager.
For Leicester City, they will be seeing this as an opportunity to pull off an upset and put their recent awful league form behind them at Old Trafford.
Statistics suggest Van Nistelrooy is doing worse than Steve Cooper in the dugout, as Leicester have collected just two league wins from 11 during his time at the King Power Stadium.
The Dutchman will be buoyed by the return of Wilfred Ndidi against United, though, while he’s also set to name 15-year-old Jeremy Monga on the bench alongside 16-year-old Jake Evans.
It will be a special occasion for the teenage academy duo, especially if they make history by coming onto the pitch.
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Chris Sutton issues score prediction for Man Utd vs Leicester City
Leicester City fans were annoyed when they drew Man United. It will be their third visit to Old Trafford in the space of a few months, having lost in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup in October.
Van Nistelrooy was in charge for Man United on both of those occasions, with the Dutchman now hoping to replicate that success with Leicester.
While the possibility of an upset shouldn’t be ruled out, Chris Sutton thinks the hosts will secure the victory on Friday night, despite having ‘no confidence’ in his 2-1 prediction.
“What a story it is to see Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has won the FA Cup with Manchester United as a player, going back to Old Trafford with Leicester,” Sutton wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“He was in charge of United when they beat the Foxes there twice in the space of two weeks earlier in the season, but he will want a different outcome this time.
“Leicester are struggling at the moment but this still won’t be straightforward for United.
“It’s amazing how many surprise results there have been in the Premier League this season, but the one constant has been that United have been awful throughout.
“I have absolutely no confidence in this prediction but, based on how poor Leicester have been recently, and also their heavy defeat by Everton last time out, I think the holders will find a way of winning this tie in 90 minutes to make it into the draw for round five.”
A huge chance for Leicester City
All the pressure will be on United to secure the win against the Premier League strugglers. Ruben Amorim’s men have no chance of clinching European qualification in the league and are relying on winning either the Europa League or FA Cup as a source of success.
Thousands of United fans will head to the match expecting to secure their passage into the next round, and that eases the pressure off Van Nistelrooy.
Although Man United are in bad form themselves, Leicester aren’t expected to win at Old Trafford, having clinched just one win there in 26 years.
Van Nistelrooy will surely hope the freedom of playing without pressure can play into their hands as getting on top of the home crowd early could offer them a platform to win.