Leicester City v Huddersfield Town: Predicted XI and Injury Update ahead of Fixture
Leicester City return to the King Power for another summit-defining match against Huddersfield Town. Here is the latest injury update as well as our predicted starting XI for the tie.
The Foxes' last outing against Cardiff City was a summit-defining moment. Individuals performed excellently, and results pushed the King Power side to eight points clear at the top, 11 from third, and 17 from fourth. Leicester will be hoping for more of the same as New Years comes around.
As a brief overview of how the two Championship teams compare ahead of the fixture, we can certainly say this is another 'opposites collide' kind of game. Huddersfield come into the game 21st in the table, with an xGD/90 of -0.50 (second worst). In stark contrast, Leicester City go into the game at the summit, with an xGD/90 of +0.92. One is leaky and lacks creativity, the other controlling.
Leicester City Injuries and Suspensions
There are no new updates to our injuries or suspensions post-Cardiff. This means Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, Marc Albrighton, and Kasey McAteer are absent. Meanwhile, there are no suspensions to be aware of. Dennis Praet should return to availability, although the likelihood of a return is slim.
Predicted XI
Enzo Maresca seems to be against resting players outside of isolated fixtures. As such, it is likely we shall see the same team which beat the Welsh team, possibly with minor alterations. I'll give two starting XI's here, one predicted and one preferred (I am a fan of resting players). Firstly, the predicted:
Squad Number + Position | Player |
|---|---|
30 - Goalkeeper | Mads Hermansen |
2 - Defender | James Justin |
3 - Defender | Wout Faes |
23 - Defender | Jannik Vestergaard |
21 - Defender | Ricardo Pereira |
8 - Midfielder | Harry Winks |
25 - Midfielder | Wilfred Ndidi |
22 - Midfielder | Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall |
10 - Forward | Stephy Mavididi |
20 - Forward | Patson Daka |
18 - Forward | Abdul Fatawu |
The only alteration I would expect from the previous fixture would be the return of Ricardo Pereira. The Portuguese 'rocket-man' has always been solid for the Foxes, barely putting a foot wrong in his whole career. If you need someone to lead, to defend, and to occasionally take a shot at goal, 'Ricky P' is your answer.
However, Hamza Choudhury performed very well against Cardiff City and does bring the right energy and Championship experience to the side. Therefore I would be unsurprised to see the midfielder turned fullback-mid hybrid in the lineup for news years day.
I believe it is time to give a rest to some of the players who have been expected to play in a match almost every three days for the whole of December. The Foxes need to look towards their talented bench and academy products to bolster the squad and reduce their reliance on the clearly successful starting XI.
I would start Jakub Stolarczyk in goal, with a backline of Callum Doyle, Ben Nelson, Conor Coady, and Hamza Choudhury (C). A midfield consisting of Wanya Marcal-Madivadua, Dennis Praet, and Cesare Casadei. The forward line would still include Mavididi who can be a clinical finisher, Tom Cannon to rest up Daka, and Yunus Akgun. Although, Fatawu and Dewsbury-Hall would likely need to come on later.