Manchester United will temporarily switch their focus back to domestic matters when they welcome Leicester City to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
United, who are currently third in the table, drew 2-2 with Spanish giants Barcelona in the first-leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off tie on Thursday evening, meaning it will be all to play for when the two sides meet again at Old Trafford next Thursday evening. Marcus Rashford scored one and created another in a barnstorming contest at the Camp Nou.
While much of the excitement will focus on the second-leg and next Sunday's Carabao Cup final with Newcastle United at Wembley, manager Erik ten Hag must ensure his players remain focused on their next challenge, that being the visit of Leicester. United will be confident of recording their second successive league win against the Foxes and maintaining their push for a top-four finish.
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United, following Manchester City's 3-1 win over Arsenal in Wednesday evening's top-of-the-table clash, are five points behind both City and the Gunners in the table, meaning they have work to do if they are to consider themselves part of the title race, though they are not under intense pressure to get involved. Their main aim is to finish inside the top-four and secure a route back into the Champions League for next season.
But with the race for the title and the top-four becoming all the more interesting and competitive, MEN Sport has taken a close look at United's next six league fixtures and compared them with those of the clubs they are currently fighting tooth and nail with in the table.
Manchester United - 3rd (46pts)
- Leicester City (H) - February 19
- Liverpool (A) - March 5
- Southampton (H) - March 11
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - March 19
- Newcastle United (A) - April 1
- Everton (H) - April 8
Verdict: With three at home and three away in their next six scheduled Premier League fixtures, United will fancy their chances of getting a good haul of points on the board in the coming weeks. The M16 clashes with Leicester, Southampton and Everton should result in nine points, though nothing, of course, is a guarantee.
Though they beat Everton on Monday night, United might never get a better chance to beat Liverpool at Anfield, such is the way their season is going. The trips to Brighton and Newcastle, however, promise to be tough, such is the way both clubs have European ambitions of their own.
Manchester City - 1st (51pts)
- Nottingham Forest (A) - February 18
- Bournemouth (A) - February 25
- Newcastle United (H) - March 4
- Crystal Palace (A) - March 11
- West Ham United (H) - March 19
- Liverpool (H) - April 1
Arsenal - 2nd (51pts)
- Aston Villa (A) - February 18
- Leicester City (A) - February 25
- Everton (H) - March 1
- Bournemouth (H) - March 4
- Fulham (A) - March 12
- Crystal Palace (H) - March 19
Newcastle United - 4th (41pts)
- Liverpool (H) - February 18
- Manchester City (A) - March 4
- Wolves (H) - March 12
- Nottingham Forest (A) - March 17
- Manchester United (H) - April 1
- Brentford (A) - April 8
Tottenham Hotspur - 5th (39pts)
- West Ham United (H) - February 19
- Chelsea (H) - February 26
- Wolves (A) - March 4
- Nottingham Forest (H) - March 11
- Southampton (A) - March 18
- Everton (A) - April 1
*All fixtures and dates are subject to change.
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