Leicester vs Newport: predicted, rotated Foxes XI

Leicester City host Newport County in the next round of the EFL Cup after a near-miss against Stockport County. Here is our predicted starting XI.

The King Power club are poised to continue their good run of form against the League Two side, as they focus on improving considerably from their last cup outing. That one was a dreary 0-0 draw leading to a penalty shootout victory.

Of course, Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to progress and get beyond January, when any possible transfer business can be conducted to elevate their chances of further progression. A win is obviously a must.

What Brendan Rodgers has said

As per LeicestershireLive, the Northern Irish gaffer has made interesting comments regarding team selection. Specifically, the head coach has suggested how much the side will be rotated ahead of the tie.

"“We want to get through… I won’t be making too many changes”"

At first glance this appears a threat to the visitors: an ironclad promise of a strong Leicester XI to face them down. However, this could be mere fancy talk to alter the mentality and momentum leading to an incredibly crucial fixture. I should heed the latter.

Regardless, there will be changes to the squad. Interestingly, the Foxes’ gaffer has also commented on why he is taking this aggressive stance, and reveals the fear of departure.

"“I changed the team about when we went to Stockport and we nearly went out… I want to go through… We’ll make some changes naturally, but there won’t be too many”"

Leicester does not want to see a repeat of that abysmal attempt at a match. The King Power club ended up the victors, but this time it must be by deserving to win, not by the luck of a good goalkeeping display or mistakes by penalty takers.

Predicted Leicester City XI

Although Rodgers has tried to suggest there will be few changes, I should expect we will see some of the lesser-used players from the Premier League squad, as well as some development squad stars on the bench to boot.

Daniel Iversen will likely start in goal, with Luke Thomas, Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, and possibly Daniel Amartey as a right-back in the backline. This would be a large rotation, but the return of the club captain should be a boon.

Midfield will be interesting. I should hope to see similar tactics to how the league fixtures have been approached. So, Papy Mendy, Youri Tielemans, and Dennis Praet could be seen together. Otherwise, I’d expect Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall instead of Praet.

Upfront, Kelechi Iheanacho will get his time to shine. Flanked by Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez or Praet on RW duties should the Belgian be excluded from the midfield. Marc Albrighton is unlikely to start with the tactics the gaffer has been employing.