After an unorthodox festive break, Leicester City return to action with an FA Cup tie against fellow Premier League opposition, Watford.
As with every club in the Premier League, both sides are struggling to field full strength XI’s, either through injuries, COVID, or AFCON (Africa Cup of Nation) — with the Foxes and Hornets being two of the teams impacted the most by the international tournament.
Leicester City’s squad frailties have been documented widely — an article here provides a full-list of players unavailable, as of now, for the upcoming match with Claudio Ranieri’s Watford team, so ensuring they remain competitive, whilst also keeping an eye on games in the domestic league is of upmost importance to Brendan Rodgers.
With these factors considered, I think the Foxes will attempt to field a 4-3-3. The two positions that Rodgers’ side are very weak in — currently — is centre-back and striker. To mitigate these problems, playing a four-back formation is paramount (only required two central defenders). The front three only requires a single striker, so I think the 4-3-3 is the best balance for personnel available. To continue the article, please now click the link below to the subsequent page.
Inside of this, I anticipate Kasper Schmeichel starts in goal, as he hasn’t been bombarded with minutes due to cancelled fixtures and as a goalkeeper, minutes are important. I think Rodgers will go as strong as possible, that means a back-four of Timothy Castagne (right-back), Caglar Söyüncü — if fit, alongside probably Jannik Vestergaard, and Luke Thomas (left-back).
The starting centre-back duo is the most contentious, as AFCON is taking Leicester City’s most recent partnership — Wilfred Ndidi and Daniel Amartey, leaving very few available options. I’ve gone for Söyüncü, as if he’s fit enough to play, he’s the best option the Foxes have available, without him they’ll have to raid the U23’s and probably utilise Ben Nelson.
The midfield is very conventional, at least in terms of Leicester City’s injury-ridden setup. Boubakary Soumaré at the base of midfield, with a double pivot of Youri Tielemans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. There’s also Hamza Choudhury who could get the nod over Dewsbury-Hall, to allow him extra rest for the upcoming Premier League fixtures — Tielemans needs to regain match sharpness so should start regardless. Rodgers will have to get creative in the forward line, although his first choice winger partnership is back.
Harvey Barnes has overcome an “illness”, while Ademola Lookman has been a part of the match day squad for the last few games. I envision a front three with those two and Ayoze Pérez, allowing the Spaniard to reinvigorate a spell as the focal point forward, after not playing their (frequently) since signing for the Foxes.
There’s always James Maddison, who is maintaining availability despite being frequently involved in injury-inducing tackles from the opposition. I would give him some extra rest, if possible, just to ensure he’s fresh for the next Premier League game, as very few players will be afforded that luxury.
Tactically, it’s a boring assessment, but Rodgers should focus on letting the starting XI play his style of football, rather than manipulating the plan for the opponents. Watford could be quite strong, rumours are circling that they’re refusing the likes of Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaïla Sarr’s departures for AFCON — two players that could drastically impact the proceedings if involved. But even with these two available, the Foxes have enough qualities to prevail.
The small break in fixtures have given a couple of key players time to closer their returns from injury; James Justin, Jamie Vardy, Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, etc. If any of these aforementioned individuals can play, allowing them minutes could be very beneficial, not just for the fixture itself, but for the future of the season.