Manchester United vs Leicester City
Time: 9.30 pm (IST)
On TV: Star Sports Select HD 1
Live streaming: Hotstar.com
Defending champion Leicester is facing Manchester United at home. Leicester is currently languishing at 16th spot and is desperately in need of points. Manchester United is currently at the 6th spot and looking to break into top four to earn a Champions League spot.
Ranieri not afraid of being sacked
The possibility of getting sacked is far from Claudio Ranieri's thoughts as the Leicester City manager is intent on ensuring the struggling Premier League champions maintain their top-flight status. Following their stunning title triumph last season, Leicester have continued producing the unexpected, only this time they are battling relegation as they sit 16th in the table, two points above the bottom three.
"It's not my philosophy to think about this. If my thoughts go there... I remember what was said by my chairman the first time I met him. He said 'if we go down will you stay with us?' And I said 'yes'," Ranieri told British media. "Now why do I have to think about this? I am thinking to fight and to survive. That's it. I don't speak about my position with the owner. Never do I speak with the chairman about my position," the Italian added.
"We know that is football. When everything is right, everyone is fantastic. When you start to lose, the manager is bad." Ranieri said he has no problem playing striker Leonardo Ulloa, who tried to force a move away from Leicester in January and accused the manager of betraying him.
"Yes, he will play, don't worry. He is a professional 100 percent. I don't know if Leo could give more because he always gives 120 per cent," Ranieri added. "Sooner or later, when he is ready, he will have the chance to play. There is no issue. He tried to say everything to push hard but it is okay. He will fight, not for me, for Leicester. Everybody is fighting."
Manchester can't poach top players now : Mourinho
The days of Manchester United weakening their Premier League rivals by poaching their best players are a thing of the past, manager Jose Mourinho has said. United, who have bought Robin van Persie from Arsenal and Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur in the past, have not brought in a player from a top-four rival since signing Juan Mata from Chelsea in January 2014.
"Football has changed in the three years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. This is the new football. Do you think I can go to Tottenham and buy two players to kill Tottenham? I can't," Mourinho told British media. "I cannot go to Arsenal and buy their two best players, or go to Chelsea and bring two of the players that I love. That time is over. The situation where you could start to become the champions by attacking your opponents is over in this country.
"If you get a player from a top club, you only get a player those clubs don't want to keep. You cannot attack your rivals any more. It used to be that when one of the big clubs was getting stronger, another of the big clubs was getting weaker."
