Preseason action for Leicester City continues tomorrow as they will play Belgian side Oud-Heverlee Leuven on the LCFC training pitch. Despite being in two completely different leagues, these two sides have recent history with each other. In 2017, Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha purchased OHL, a club that was struggling financially. Leicester youngsters would then start to go out on loan to this club. The most recent player being Ghana attacker Nathan Opoku.
These two clubs met each other in a friendly last season in which the game ended in a 3-3 draw. The Foxes would like to come out of this game victorious and continue their winning ways. So who will Enzo Maresca select for his starting eleven in this upcoming preseason game?
I expect to see a lot of change in Maresca’s starting eleven for this upcoming matchup. I don’t see this as a bad thing as some might assume. Maresca is trying to implement a new system that players are going to need to get used to. In order to do that, you must give other players opportunities. So I’m expecting to see new players in the starting eleven. I’m also expecting to see the newly signed players stay in the starting eleven since they need to get used to playing with a new set of players.
A lot of change is set to be made yet I believe the defensive line will be a lot similar to the game against Northampton. I predict Jakub Stolarczyk will continue his run in goal. I was very tempted to select the newly signed Mads Hermansen. However, I believe a one day notice is too short for a goalkeeper to be selected; despite Callum Doyle doing it at centre back. I also don’t see a chance in Daniel Iversen being selected. Stolarczyk is set to be our back up keeper for the season. So he will receive any chance he can get to play this pre season so he can be ready for any situation next season.
Conor Coady and Doyle should be selected for the starting back three again. As I previously stated, you want to get newly signed players used to playing with players they’ve never played with before. So they should receive a chance at any given time to do so. The only difference in the back line vs OHL is I predict Harry Souttar to start over Wout Faes.
The midfield is where I predict to see some major changes. In the game against Northampton, Maresca’s formation had two deeper central midfielders and two central midfielders higher up the pitch. That is four midfielders that need a selection and the East Midlands team has a lot of midfielders to choose from.
Yet my first prediction for a midfielder will actually be a fullback. Ricardo Pereira was playing as one of the two deeper midfielders vs Northampton. I believe Maresca has a vision of playing our fullbacks in this position. So I predict he will give Danish youngster Victor Kristiansen a chance in this position. I then expect Hamza Choudhury to join him in this pairing. I believe these two together could be a defensive nightmare for the opposition in the Championship.
I predict Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to be selected again as one of the midfielders higher up the pitch. Then I think he will be joined by newly signed Harry Winks. In the last game, Winks played as one of the deeper midfielders. I believe he has the versatility to play as a deeper midfielder and a higher up the pitch midfielder. This game will give him the opportunity to prove it.
Wanya Marçal-Madivadua is likely to get another opportunity out on the wing. The 20-year-old Portuguese winger recently earned a contract with the professional team. Add that to the fact our winger depth is weak, he will be given another chance to prove himself. Leicester City legend Marc Albrighton is my prediction to join him on the wing.
Albrighton had a solid loan campaign at West Bromwich Albion; he has a chance to have one last run with the team he joined in 2014. Finally, I don’t expect Jamie Vardy to start since he got to do so last game. I believe Patson Daka will get the starting opportunity for this game.