Match Preview: Leicester City vs. Hull City
By Jake Cursley
This weekend see’s the Premier League kick off again, starting with champions Leicester City face Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.
Referee Mike Dean will see the champions of England face off, against Hull. Leicester City will be looking to kick on from last year’s fairy-tale story and will be hungry for more success, especially after a disappointing pre-season.
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This summer we saw Leicester City narrowly beat Scottish champions Celtic on penalties before losing to both PSG and Barcelona, 4 – 0 and 4 – 2 respectively. This was not the biggest blow to the foxes’ pre-season however.
Last weekend saw Leicester City narrowly miss out on getting their hands on some shiny new silverware, the Community Shield, after a last minute header from Zlatan Ibrahimović saw Manchester United clinch the trophy which is Jose Mourinho’s first in charge of the Red Devils.
Injuries & Suspensions
Ahead of the clash, there are no injuries for Claudio Ranieri’s team with only Robert Huth suspended, facing his last game of the three-match suspension he recieved for pulling Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini’s hair in the 1 – 1 draw with the Red Devil’s last season. This could see new signing Luis Hernandez step into the starting 11, which will be his league debut.
As for Hull City, it might just be easier to say who is fit. After Steve Bruce resigned as manager, fans are extremely unhappy, especially with the lack of activity in the transfer market considering the amount of injuries they’re facing.
Frist team centre-Backs Michael Dawson and Alex Bruce are missing from The Tigers’ starting 11 along with goalkeeper Allan McGregor, right back Moses Odubajo. There are also doubt over the fitness of Maguire and Maloney.
Should things take a turn for the worse, Hull City’s caretaker boss Mike Phelan may only have 13 players to choose from.
Speaking to Hull’s website he said:
"“We’ve done some homework on Leicester but they are what they are – they’re the Champions of the Premier League. But we’re going into this having earned the right to be in the Premier League and we shouldn’t forget the work that was put in last season to get there. We’re sure that the players will conduct themselves well.”"
Speaking after last weekend’s Community Shield loss, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri said:
"“I’m very proud and I’m very happy because we worked so hard. I told the players that we aren’t ready yet, but give me 120 per cent. Help each other and run for your team-mates. They did this and I’m very pleased.”"
One to watch for Hull:
Abel Hernandez was in fine form last season finding the net 22 times, helping Hull City grasp promotion. The Uruguayan will be looking to impress this season in the top flight, he isn’t scared to work hard and is able to score any kind of goal. With Morgan missing his usual partner in crime with Huth facing a suspension, Hernandez may look to exploit this.
One to watch for Leicester City:
Although unlikely to be in the starting 11, Ahmed Musa is very likely to make an appearance in the second half. With his blistering pace and relentless work-rate he’ll be looking to kick on after an impressive display again Spanish champions Barcelona in pre-season.
The Nigerian also played well the second half of the Community Shield after coming off of the bench, despite failing to score.
Expected Line-ups:
Hull (4-4- 2)
Jakupovic, Elmohamady, Livermore, Davies, Robertson, Clucas, Huddlestone, Melyer,
SnodGrass, Diomande, Hernandez
Leicester (4-4- 2)
Schmeichel, Simpson, Hernandez, Morgan, Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater, King, Albrighton,
Vardy, Okazaki
Head to head (all comps):
Leicester City: 28
Draw: 24
Manchester United: 26
Last 5 Meetings
Hull City 1 – 1 Leicester City (Leicester won 5 – 4 on penalties)
Leicester City 0 – 0 Hull City
Hull City 0 – 1 Leicester City
Hull City 0 – 0 Leicester City
Leicester City 3 – 1 Hull
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