Leicester City will try to strengthen their hold at the top of the EFL Championship when they take on struggling Millwall at home on Wednesday night.
Leicester City have lost that aura of invincibility about them in recent weeks but will be aiming to strengthen their hold on top spot in the Championship when they take on Millwall.
Enzo Maresca’s side holds a one-point lead over second-placed Ipswich Town with more than half of the season still to play. In order to maintain their slender lead, the Foxes will need to secure maximum points at home, especially against teams struggling at the wrong end of the table.
Milwall arrive at the King Power Stadium with just one win in their last five league games, putting them a mere two points above the relegation zone. While it would be too much to expect them to secure maximum points on the night, they have little to lose by going all out.
With both teams battling it out at the opposite ends of the table, the difference in quality is palpable. Leicester will hope to keep up their solid record at home and avoid any surprises. With Ipswich waiting to pounce and Leeds United rediscovering their mojo, Maresca should ensure that his side retains their advantage up front.
The Hard Tackle takes a look at how these two sides will line up and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
The Foxes have picked up 24 points out of a maximum of 30 at home in the league this season. A major reason for their tally is a stingy defence that has conceded just four times in 10 matches so far. Millwall aren’t exactly the most prolific side in the league and are unlikely to cause the Foxes’ defence many concerns, provided they turn up.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy are likely to return to the fold after sitting out of the game against Plymouth Argyle thanks to illness and a knee issue respectively. Despite them likely to be available, Patson Daka should retain his spot in the starting XI.
Ricardo Pereira should also return to the playing XI after having served his suspension. Callum Doyle remains Leicester’s lone player unavailable as Maresca has a wealth of options at his disposal.
Maresca is likely to stick with his 4-3-3 formation that offers flexibility as needed on the field. Mads Hermansen should start in goal behind the back four of Ricardo Pereira, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard and James Justin.
Harry Winks and Wilfred Ndidi will start in midfield with Kiernan Drewsbury-Hall given the license to push forward when needed. Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi should start out wide with Patson Daka leading the line. The latter two found the back of the net against Plymouth and will be keen to repeat the trick on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Mavididi, Daka
Millwall
Despite parting ways with Gary Rowett, Millwall are yet to hit their stride under Joe Edwards. A return of just one point from their last four games has done little to inspire confidence as a fight against relegation beckons.
A trip to the King Power is not easy and Millwall will certainly go into the game as underdogs. Taking the game to their opponents is certainly something that the visitors can do. Leicester have shown themselves to be vulnerable to well-disciplined attacks and have already been privy to an upset or two this season.
The Lions will be without Joe Bryan and Casper De Norre, both of whom are out injured. Otherwise, they have a full-fit squad and should line up in a 4-4-2 formation.
📍 LE2 bound.#Millwall
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) December 12, 2023
Matija Sarkic should start in goal behind the back four of Wes Harding, Shaun Hutchinson, Jake Cooper and Murray Wallace. Billy Mitchell and George Saville should start in the middle of the park with Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Ryan Longman providing the width. Tom Bradshaw should return to the lineup with Zian Flemming alongside him up front.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Sarkic; Harding, Hutchinson, Cooper, Wallace; Norton-Cuffy, Mitchell, Saville, Longman; Flemming, Bradshaw
Key Stats
- The last time Millwall and Leicester City faced off in the championship, the Foxes won the English second tier.
- Securing a point or more on the night will see Leicester become the joint quickest side to secure 50 points in a Championship season since 2004.
- Millwall have won just one of their last 10 league games.
- Leicester City have made 59 changes to their starting XIs this season, second only to Sheffield Wednesday (66).
- Leicester City have had 14 different goalscorers this season, a number dwarfed only by Swansea City (15) in the second division.
Player to Watch
Patson Daka
The young striker has struggled to impress consistently since arriving at the King Power and firmly finds himself behind Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho in the pecking order. To his credit, Daka has been patient and delivered at the weekend against Plymouth Argyle.
With Ihenacho and Vardy still unlikely to be fully fit, the 25-year-old will once again get the opportunity to stake his claim for a starting spot. Millwall presents him with the ability to add to his tally and it is something that he will be keen to take advantage of
Prediction
Leicester City 2-0 Millwall
Leicester are firmly the favourites to secure maximum points and will boosted by the return of Pereyra, Vardy and Ihenacho. The Foxes will want to retain the top spot in the EFL standings and are expected to secure a comfortable win over the Lions on the night.
