Leicester City will host West Ham United at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night, looking to end their losing streak.
Leicester City have lost three Premier League games in a row, and they have picked up just one win from the last six Premier League outings ahead of the visit of West Ham United on Tuesday night.
The Foxes are 16th in the league table, and they are very much in the battle for survival. They need to start picking up points if they want to save their place in the Premier League next season. The home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players, and it remains to be seen whether they can step up and deliver under the tutelage of new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Meanwhile, West Ham United are coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Arsenal, and they will look to bounce back strongly. The East London outfit have had a disappointing season so far, and they are 14th in the league table.
The Hammers will look to take advantage of Leicester City’s vulnerabilities and grind out all three points here. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
The Foxes will be without Jakub Stolarczyk, who misses out with an ankle injury. Ricardo Perreira misses out with a thigh injury, and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku is sidelined with a long-term knee complaint.
Leicester City are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against West Ham United, with Mads Hermansen in goal. James Justin and Victor Kristiansen will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch here. Wout Faes will start at the heart of the defence alongside Jannik Vestergaard.
As for the midfield unit, Harry Winks will start alongside Wilfred Ndidi in the double pivot. Winks will look to add creativity and control to the side, whereas Ndidi will look to break down opposition attacks.
Jordan Ayew and Stephy Mavididi will start in the wide areas, and Facundo Buonanotte will reprise the attacking midfield role. He will look to carve out opportunities in the final third. Finally, Jamie Vardy will lead the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen; Winks, Ndidi; Ayew, Buonanotte, Mavididi; Vardy
West Ham United
West Ham United will be without Niclas Fullkrug due to a calf injury. The Hammers will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help out in the attack as well. Max Kilman will start in the central defensive pairing alongside Jean-Clair Todibo.
As for the midfield unit, Guido Rodriguez will start alongside Carlos Soler in the double pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and creativity to the side. Lucas Paqueta will start as the attacking midfielder here. Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville will add creativity and goals from the flanks. Mohammed Kudus will lead the line for West Ham United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson; Rodriguez, Soler; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville; Kudus
Key Stats
West Ham United are unbeaten in four of the last six matches against Leicester.
22 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
West Ham have picked up two wins from the last six Premier League matches.
Leicester City have picked up one win from the six Premier League matches.
Leicester City have conceded 18 goals in the last six matches in all competitions.
West Ham United have conceded 13 goals in the last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
Embed from Getty Images
The West Ham attacker is our key player to watch out for, and he will look to take advantage of Leicester’s vulnerabilities in defence and punish them. Bowen will look to create opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself as well.
The Hammers are struggling right now, and they need their top players to step up and deliver. They will need the England international to make a defining impact if they want to grind out all three points.
Prediction
Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side are particularly good at the back and a high-scoring contest could be on the card. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet here, but West Ham have enough quality in the attack to grind out a narrow victory. Leicester City have been quite mediocre defensively, and their back four is likely to let them down here.