Leicester vs Everton: Injury News and Predicted Starting XI

The King Power side are yet to register a win in the Premier League, although they have accumulated two points out of four. This leaves them 15th in the league, two points behind Tottenham Hotspurt and West Ham United, two ahead of Southampton and bottom of the table Everton. The latter of which is our next opponent.

A failure to find all three points here will pile the pressure on the Welsh head coach, and raise serious questions around the system being employed. These are the teams the Foxes will have to beat if they are to avoid relegation. Luckily for Cooper, he has a fairly strong squad.

Leicester City injury news

Steve Cooper talking to media ahead of the Everton fixture insisted there were no new fitness concerns. This means that the situation remains as Patson Daka and Jakub Stolarczyk being unavailable, with all other players becoming available. A further boost will be Odsonne Eduoard finally being an option as they were barred from starring against their parent club in the controversial match-up with Crystal Palace.

Predicted Starting XI

Leicester have a fairly designated starting XI already, which I do not expect shall be heavily altered for this match. Cooper will have liked how the King Power side performed against Crystal Palace, so most of the players that were found in that squad should feature again.

In goal, Mads Hermansen will remain steadfast between the sticks: there is little to no competition for his spot with Danny Ward being reserved to a cup-bound role. At the back, Victor Kristiansen, Caleb Okoli, Wout Faes, and James Justin have served the club well, and although we could have a more impactful line-up, they will remain together.

In midfield, Harry Winks is firmly on the team sheet before the manager even thinks of the team. Oliver Skipp and Wilfred Ndidi will probably feature again. Up front, I would expect a mild alteration with Odsonne Edouard taking up the role Jordan Ayew has had recently: Edouard on the left to cut inside, Jamie Vardy upfront, and Stephy Mavididi on the right after his goal form.

Leicester City’s system is build on the principle of a 4-2-1-3 out of possession with two shielding defensive midfielders, and a 3-4-3 in possession with a fullback marauding into a wing-back position, and the corresponding winger usually cutting deep in-field to become a wide attacking midfielder. That is why we have seen Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova Reid for most of the time.

Preferred Starting XI

I would prefer a few changes to this expected XI. Hermansen, Kristiansen, Okoli, Faes, Ricardo Pereira, Winks, Skipp, Facundo Bounanotte, Mavididi, Edouard, and Abdul Fatawu. The same formation and tactics as Cooper currently prefers, just with more explosive attackers and the superb Pereira involved.

I feel as if the attacking combination of Mavididi and Fatawu was well tested under Enzo Maresca last season, and Leicester should not abandon this in favour of using versatile strikers on the wings. However, that is why Cooper signed Ayew and Edouard to play on those wings or upfront.