Will the Foxes finally arrive at the end of the rainbow when they travel to Old Trafford on Sunday?
Guinness Made of Black Match of the Weekend: Manchester United vs. Leicester City
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: 14:05 (GMT +1) , Sunday May 1
It's a cliché you'll read over and over again this weekend, but it's serendipitous indeed that this weekend—of all weekends—Leicester City meet Manchester United at Old Trafford…the Theatre of Dreams.
Indeed, while the Red Devils have seen one or two dreams come true on that hallowed turf over the years—notably under Sir Alex Ferguson rather than recent seasons—it's the Foxes who will be hoping that they are on the receiving end of a bit of magic on Sunday.
All season, the whispers around the Premier League have been questioning when the wheels will come off for Claudio Ranieri's miracle men.
"Don't worry," rival fans muttered, "it'll never last."
Indeed, BBC pundit Robbie Savage—a former Leicester midfielder—could barely help himself as he giggled, time and time again, at another Foxes fan who called up the radio to forecast that maybe…just maybe…the East Midlanders could reach the Champions League.
"It'll never happen," Savage scoffed. "Leicester CANNOT win the title."
One of Savage's colleagues, and one of the Foxes all-time greats, Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, boasted at the beginning of the season that he'll present the weekly show naked if his beloved side won their first-ever title.
Viewers will be in for a treat on the first day of next season!
Even as Leicester begun to demonstrate that they were genuine contenders, doubters forecast that the slump would come any day.
As the pressure of being in the midst of a challenge begun to dawn on Ranieri's side, they would surely begin to doubt themselves, second guess their previously pristine intuition, and cracks would show.
Only, they never did; as Arsenal and Manchester City drifted out of the title race, Leicester upped their game and demonstrated that hard-nosed pragmatism that would have seen Ferguson lionised.
Having lost to Arsenal away on Valentine's Day, Leicester appeared primed for a wobble, yet they went on to take 23 points from their next nine matches, dropping only four.
In five fixtures between the beginning of March and mid April, they didn't concede a match, scoring six goals.
This was surely the run where the title was won, and when Tottenham Hotspur, their last outstanding rival, fell to a home draw against West Bromwich Albion on Monday evening, Leicester's wonderful campaign appeared set to arrive at a perfect conclusion.
Leicester have three matches to play, and need only three more points to guarantee their maiden championship.
Those fixtures—away at United, home against Everton, away at reigning champions Chelsea—are tricky, but at this late stage—having lost once in the league all year—does anyone really doubt that Leicester are on the brink of history?
Victory at United on Sunday would secure the championship, meaning that Leicester could parade the title before their own fans at the King Power Stadium against Everton next weekend.
Even by the Red Devils' lofty standards, that would be one hell of a dream!
Guinness weekly winners story:
Ajayi Emmanuel
Played min 54 for Everton in Manchester City v Everton
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