While a late call is required for Mads Hermansen, there are a few Leicester City decisions that Ruud van Nistelrooy can already make ahead of Sunday’s showdown with fellow basement battlers Wolves.
Harry Winks has been declared fit and is able to play for the new City manager for the first time. After a full week of training, there should not be any qualms around his inclusion in the starting line-up.
It feels like he will come straight into the side at the base of midfield. There, he will be joined by Boubakary Soumare, who is available again after suspension, with Oli Skipp and Hamza Choudhury dropping out.
In attack, the big decision is whether Facundo Buonanotte comes back into the starting line-up and if so, who he would replace. The Argentinian was only used as a substitute last weekend, with Stephy Mavididi making his first start under van Nistelrooy.
With very few positives at all to draw from the Newcastle game, the focus will be on replicating the good moments from the home matches with West Ham and Brighton. In that case, Buonanotte could come back in, with Mavididi making way and Kasey McAteer keeping his place on the wing.
Despite the four goals conceded at Newcastle, it doesn’t feel like van Nistelrooy is ready to make changes at the back yet. He doesn’t have much choice at full-back, but Wout Faes and Caleb Okoli are waiting in the wings if he wants to make changes at centre-back. However, Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard’s experience may continue to be preferred.
It’s tough to predict who will be behind the back-line. Based on what van Nistelrooy has said and given it’s such a key game, Hermansen has a decent chance of making the team.
Predicted City XI (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; McAteer, Buonanotte, El Khannouss; Vardy. Subs from: Stolarczyk, Ward, Iversen, Thomas, Faes, Okoli, Skipp, Choudhury, Cartwright, Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew, Alves, Golding, Daka, Edouard.
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