All upcoming World Cup games involving Leicester players
By Ethan Henson
England vs USA – Friday November 25 – 7pm GMT
With all of the furore after Leicester’s convincing dismantling of Everton at Goodison Park, it often needs reiterating that James Maddison still only has one England cap to his name. It’s possible that this could change on Friday night, as the Three Lions line up against the Americans in the hope of securing a knockout place.
Securing early qualification and therefore taking the pressure off of Tuesday evening’s grudge match with neighbours Wales will not be easy, given the USA’s very impressive first half showing in their opening game. England however showed what they could do against an Iran side who sit 20th in the FIFA World Rankings, with six goals in what became an effortless victory.
The last time these two met at a World Cup was in 2010, when that infamous Robert Green error led to the match finishing in a 1-1 draw. If the situation ends up in a stalemate late on once more, it could be just the situation for Maddison to announce himself on the international stage.
That is of course, crucially dependent on the Leicester man’s fitness, upon which we wait for an update. Maddison was the only England player to be ruled out of their opening game, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be fit to play a part – the one near-certainty is that he won’t be involved from the start.