A fifth defeat in a row came for Leicester City last time as Graham Potter’s West Ham side cruised to a two-nil victory. This Sunday, March 9, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side will take on former manager Enzo Maresca. Here is the Leicester predicted lineup to take on the inconsistent Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea for Premier League Clash
How Leicester City Have Lined Up Recently
Last time out, the Foxes set up in their familiar 4-2-3-1 system, which saw minor changes from thelast few weeks. In between the sticks, Mads Hermansen reprised his role as the Foxes’ shot-stopper. Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard made up a centre-back partnership, with the Dane scoring an own goal just before half-time.
Victor Kristiansen started off the left of a back four, whilst James Justin returned from injury to complete the defence. Meanwhile, the physical double pivot of Wilfred Ndidi and Boubakary Soumaré also started, but the Frenchman was replaced after the hour mark for Harry Winks.
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Facundo Buonanotte made his first start in weeks against the Hammer, with Bobby Decordova Reid on the opposite flank. Despite starting, Reid didn’t have muchof an impact and was replaced by the direct Stephy Mavididi. In the centre, Bilal El Khannouss continued in the central attacking midfielder role, with Jamie Vardy leading the line in front of him.
Leicester City’s Recent Form and Tactics
After Van Nistelrooy’s side was defeated by late goals against Manchester United and Arsenal, they looked to be on an upward trajectory. However, back-to-back defeats to Brentford and West Ham really highlights this side’s flaws. Now sitting 19th and five points from safety, the Foxes’ relegation looks more and more likely.
A dominant first-half display from the home side saw them two goals to the good and with a staggering 67% in possession. The second half did see a bit more competition, with 50% possession for both sides and Leicester firing eight shots towards the goal. However, Potter’s side was still in cruise control and didn’t offer any clear-cut chances, which is shown by an XG of just 0.29.
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Under Van Nistelrooy, Leicester are struggling in defence and attack. The loss made it six out of their last seven games in the league without a goal, which is a stark contrast to under Steve Cooper. This lack of quality in both boxes has become synonymous with the side, that looks destined to return to the Championship.
Leicester City Injuries to Consider
Asrevealed bythe Dutchman, there are no new injuriesto his squad. Full-backs Woyo Coulibaly and Ricardo Pereira return from injury and will add competition to James Justin. Abdul Fatawu is now the only injured player in the senior squad having been sidelined since November.
Leicester Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea
GK: Mads Hermansen
RB: James Justin
RCB: Wout Faes
LCB: Caleb Okoli
LB: Victor Kristiansen
DM: Harry Winks
DM: Wilfred Ndidi
RW: Facundo Buonanotte
AM: Bilal El Khannouss
LW: Stephy Mavididi
ST: Jamie Vardy