Team news, where to watch, referee & VAR

Manchester United and Leicester City face off in the FA Cup this Friday evening, with the Red Devils’ quest to retain the famous domestic trophy continuing at Old Trafford.

United, who defeated Manchester City in the final last year, come up against former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was actually in interim charge at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Both clubs have struggled in the Premier League this season, making the FA Cup a welcome distraction and a real chance to save their campaign with silverware.

Man Utd v Leicester City team news

Man Utd

The Red Devils were without Jonny Evans, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw last time out, and none of the trio look likely to feature at Old Trafford on Friday. A first appearance for January signing Patrick Dorgu could be one to keep an eye on, though.

United were also handed a new serious injury concern to Lisandro Martinez, who was stretched off against Crystal Palace and looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Leicester City

Long-term absentees at Leicester City are Issahaku Fatawu, Ricardo Pereira, Nathaniel Opoku and Wilfred Ndidi, however, Ndidi has been back in training and van Nistelrooy has confirmed the Nigerian will return to the squad against Man Utd.

When asked about any more injuries, van Nistelrooy said: “There are two or three with light injuries who will be assessed.”

Where to watch Man Utd v Leicester City on TV

For viewers in the UK, the game will be shown live on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player on Friday 7 February with kick-off at 8pm (GMT).

In the USA, the match will be streamed on ESPN+, and in Canada, live on TV with channel Sportsnet.

Man Utd v Leicester City referee and is there VAR?

Interestingly, the FA has decided this season that VAR will only be introduced from the fifth round of the FA Cup onwards, meaning fans won’t have to worry about it on Friday evening.

The man whose decision will be final is referee Michael Salisbury. He will be assisted by Matthew Wilkes and Steven Meredith, with Thomas Bramall as the fourth official.

Salisbury has taken charge of four games for both clubs, and as can be seen, the Red Devils enjoy having the 40-year-old as the man in the middle with a 100% win ratio.

Man Utd v Leicester City form

Man Utd

Ruben Amorim’s side have struggled for consistency at Old Trafford, highlighted by recent Premier League defeats at Old Trafford to Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils began 2025 in positive fashion with a draw at Liverpool and an FA Cup triumph at Arsenal, as well as qualifying for the last 16 of the Europa League.

Leicester City

Things haven’t exactly gone to plan for van Nistelrooy at the King Power Stadium so far, with the Foxes coming into the cup encounter off the back of a heavy 4-0 defeat to Everton.

The highlight of 2025 was certainly the 2-1 win at Tottenham which took them out of the relegation zone, however, they are now back in the bottom three and in real danger of an immediate return to the Championship.

Man Utd v Leicester City head-to-head

This will be just the fourth time these two sides have faced off against each other in the FA Cup. The first two meetings were back in 1963 and 1976, both won by the Red Devils.

The last FA Cup clash was in 2021 at the quarter-final stages, where Leicester ran out 3-1 winners thanks to two goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and one from Youri Tielemans. Overall, though, Manchester United have more wins against Leicester throughout history.