Claudio Ranieri’s side are on the brink of what was deemed impossible. Since Blackburn Rovers’s shock title win in 1995, the Premier League has been dominated by those fortunate few who have the history or finances – or in some cases both – to compete at the very top of the richest league in the world on a regular basis. Even that has not been enough for some – a fact that Liverpool supporters will certainly attest to. Only an injection of funds, such as those seen at both Chelsea and Manchester City, would likely break that monopoly.
And though Leicester chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, is far from shy when offering his wealth to boost the club’s profile on and off the pitch, this Leicester story has shocked the sporting world. Two years ago they were a Championship team about to embark on a first top-flight campaign in a decade. Twelve months later they were being written off as yet another club who failed to make the transition from the second-tier as they faced an inevitable relegation.
READ MORE | Man Utd plan Kante talksBut after a run of games that has seen them lose on just four of the last 44 occasions they have taken to the field for a league match, they are on the verge of completing a feat that is truly historical. One more victory in their final three fixtures of the season would secure the unlikeliest piece of silverware in the modern football landscape.
Quoted as 5000/1 outsiders for the title before the season began and with a manager who was being written off before he took his first training session, another campaign of fighting for relegation was on the cards. Ranieri himself refused to talk about anything other than survival until his team reached 40 points in early January, but even he could not have believed quite how his side have exceeded all expectations.
A handful of lucky punters still harbour hopes of big money pay-outs should the Foxes get the job done after backing them in the early weeks of the season, and around Leicester all events are now geared towards watching the town’s new heroes on Sunday afternoon. Though they have been denied permission to screen the match inside the King Power Stadium for those supporters not travelling north to Manchester, pubs and homes in the east Midlands are sure to be packed with those waiting for what now seems the inevitable to finally become reality.
"Now is the real chance to win the title. Next season, you never know," Ranieri told reporters in his pre-match press conference. "It is once in a lifetime. Next season, United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal will all be at the top. It is like the Hollywood movies. We want a happy ending." Certainly the producers of the prospective 'Jamie Vardy: The Movie' will be hopeful their own team of scriptwriters in blue can finish the job on the biggest of stages.
But as the champagne is put on ice and the celebration parties are planned, it is worth remembering that standing in their way is a Manchester United team with objectives and prizes of their own still to play for. Leicester may have swept almost all before them this season, but this final hurdle is set to be one of the most difficult to overcome.
No Premier League side has conceded fewer goals at home than United’s seven this season, and Louis van Gaal has got into a habit of winning games few people expect him to. There are not many qualities that most Red Devils fans can get on board with when it comes to the veteran Dutch coach, but he has at least brought a resilience and big-game knowhow back to Old Trafford in his two years at the helm.
Factor in the inconsistencies of both Manchester City and Arsenal over the past six weeks, and there is a realistic hope that United will be able to secure a Champions League place for next season. They currently sit five points behind both clubs with a game in hand, but the knowledge that at least one will drop points when they play each other in the penultimate round of fixtures means United can certainly be the main beneficiary.
Winning the FA Cup would go some way to appeasing supporters who have struggled to come to terms with their side’s struggles following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but the decision makers at the club want Champions League football as a minimum if their treatment of David Moyes is anything to go by. Reports suggest Van Gaal needs a place in the top four to secure himself a third and final season at United, and failure to beat Leicester would almost certainly end all hope of that.
The Foxes will again be without the suspended Jamie Vardy, and though they had few difficulties in breaking Swansea City’s resistance without the England international last time out, United represent a whole new proposition. Employing Leonardo Ulloa in order to dominate the more diminutive Daley Blind is certainly an option for Ranieri after a season in which he has barely put a foot wrong when it comes to team preparation.
Should his side get over the line, the title will be for him as much as it is for the players and supporters. On numerous occasions he has come agonisingly close in title races only to fall short on the final straight, but now the finish line is inches away.
The fairytale is almost at its happy ending for Ranieri and Leicester, and the vast majority of the footballing world stands behind them as they try to get their heads around one simple fact: Leicester City will win the Premier League title if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
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