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Leicester City to Face Manchester United in the FA Cup Quarterfinals

Let’s dig deep and find out more about the obscure club from the northwest!

Leicester City v Manchester United - Premier League
Jamie Vardy smiling at a refrigerator.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Leicester City have been drawn against Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. The match will be played at the King Power Stadium the weekend of 20 March, although the exact day and time are to be determined.

United are an obscure club, but they’ve done well to get this far in the tournament. In that event that the reader is unfamiliar with Manchester United, or the “Red Devils” as they like to be called, we’ve put together this primer on our next opponents in the cup:

Where Is Manchester?

The hamlet of Manchester (pronounced man·cheh·str) lies between Oldham and Altrincham to the north and west of the East Midlands. Contrary to the lyrics of the famous song, it cannot be reached by way of “the Atlantic sea,” so the A50 will have to do. It is, however, only a half hour’s drive from their famous sister city and great friends, Liverpool.

Piccadilly, Manchester, c1890-c1910.
Note the statue of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, inventor of beef.
Photo by English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images

Does the football club have any history?

Manchester United are so named not because they are the result of the merger of two or more clubs, but rather because they went bankrupt and their investors thought “Manchester United” sounded better. Curiously, have not actually played in Manchester since 1902 when they moved to Trafford. They have been largely successful over the last 70 or so years.

Manchester City v Everton - Premier League - Etihad Stadium
Manchester United are supported by many celebrities, including Blur singer Liam Gallagher.
Photo by Anna Gowthorpe/Manchester City FC via Getty Images

Do they have any famous players?

Ever since the departure of Marouane Fellaini, Manchester United have struggled to find an identity. In an attempt to rectify this, they purchased Leicester City defender and forehead-enthusiast Harry Maguire. In addition, they have noted philanthropist Marcus Rashford and Edurne Garcia’s boyfriend, David De Gea. Get this: They have a guy whose name is “Fred.” Just “Fred.” Oh mercy!

In all seriousness, Rashford’s a good guy. Respect.

Have we ever faced them before?

We have, although youngsters may not remember that time. On 21 September, 2014 the Foxes fought back from a 2-0 deficit to win 5-3. That’s really the only meeting that I can remember off the top of my head. There may have been others, but they clearly weren’t memorable.

What can we expect when we play them?

One thing’s for certain: They will wear red. They’re very, very big on that color, probably because their friends in Liverpool also wear it. In addition, they will very likely field eleven different players and instruct them to play in different areas of the pitch. Edurne Garcia’s boyfriend may be the goalie, but he also might not be. They will certainly attempt to score goals and to prevent Leicester from scoring them. Hopefully, one of their players will do something very silly and everyone will shake their heads and laugh.

Probably not, though.

Who will win?

The team with the most goals, of course. This will probably be Leicester City.

Anything else we need to know?

Nope! That’s everything you could possibly want to know about our next opponent in the FA Cup.