Leicester City v Arsenal: Key Battles in Carabao Cup meeting

Dennis Praet v Granit Xhaka

Usually, the key battle in midfield that includes Leicester would be James Maddison against whoever is handed the job to mark the talented midfielder. However, Maddison has not fully recovered from his hip injury and has been introduced from the bench in both games so far.

Maddison played double the minutes against Burnley (28) than he did against West Brom (15) a week prior and could see more minutes on Wednesday.

Dennis Praet, who has been selected to replace Maddison in the opening two games, has been nothing but sensational. The Belgium midfielder made 51 passes on Sunday, completing 89.6% of his passes.

His right-footed strike was the first goal he scored for the Foxes since the 2-1 home defeat to Southampton, summing up one of his best performances in a Leicester shirt.

Rodgers has opted to use Praet as the more advanced of the midfield three and he has repaid the faith. With 51 of his 67 touches being passes, Praet conceded possession only once against Sean Dyche’s side.  Praet’s performance so far means he will be the main outlet through the middle for Leicester.

After reviving his Arsenal career, Granit Xhaka has also impressed recently, mainly since the arrival of his new manager. Making 132 touches altogether against their London-rivals, Xhaka made 118 passes and completed 89.8%.

Unlike Praet, Xhaka is a more defensive-minded player, hence why he only made one dribble against the Hammers. However, his zero tackles and interceptions will tempt Praet into making surging runs through the Switzerland international.