Leicester City will be keen to pull away at the top of the Championship standings when they take on Huddersfield Town on New Years’ Day.
League leaders Leicester City will aim to kickstart 2024 with a win when they welcome Huddersfield Town to the King Power Stadium on Monday.
Enzo Maresca’s men have opened up an eight-point lead at the summit and will now hope to drive home their advantage. Having won six of their seven games in December, the Foxes are the winners of the Championship title race thus far and now threaten to pull away as we enter the new year.
They go into the clash against Huddersfield as huge favourites. But Maresca will be keen to keep his players grounded. No other side have conceded fewer goals at home than Leicester this season in the Championship, and the defensive record has been a major bonus in their aim to return to the top flight.
Huddersfield appeared to have rediscovered their bearings following the 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. But misses cost them dear last time out against Middlesborough. They will now hope to kick off 2024 with a shock win and pull away from the bottom three. 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 Jamie Vardy, Kasey McAteer and Marc Albrighton for the game but should have an otherwise fully-fit squad to choose from. With games coming thick and fast, Enzo Maresca should swap out a few players to keep things fresh.
The 4-2-3-1 formation appears to be the solution on the night, with Mads Hermansen serving as the last line of defence. He is expected to be protected by the back four of James Justin, Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes and Ricardo Pereira.
Harry Winks and Wilfred Ndidi should retain their spots in midfield with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall playing further upfield alongside Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu. Patson Daka has been in good form of late and should lead the attack.
Leicester should dovetail between the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3 formations depending on how the game progresses., This tactical flexibility should be apparent when they are forced to switch from attack to defence or vice versa.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi; Fatawu, Dewsbury-Hall, Mavididi; Daka
Huddersfield Town
Darren Moore’s men face an uphill task against Leicester City and will be travelling to the Foxes’ lair at the King Power, an added challenge in itself.
Injuries make the challenge all the harder for the Terriers. Daaren Moore lost his skipper Jonathan Hogg to illness, and the 35-year-old is likely to sit the trip to Leicester out. He joined the likes of Delano Burgzorg, Oliver Turton, Patrick Jones, Kian Harratt, Josh Ruffels, Lee Nicholls, Danny Ward and Chris Maxwell on the sidelines, while Matthew Pearson is also a doubt.
Moore is likely to deploy his side in a 3-5-2 formation, with numbers making a difference in the middle of the park. Jacob Chapman should start in goal behind the back three of Tom Lees, Michal Helik and Yuta Nakayama.
David Kasumu and Jaheim Headley should function as the full-backs and will be expected to drop deeper to form a back five when defending. The trio of Ben Wiles, Jack Rudoni, and Rarmani Edmonds-Green should form the trio in central midfield and will hope to keep Harry Winks and Wilfred Ndidi occupied.
Sorba Thomas and Josh Koroma should retain their spots upfront and will hope to catch the Leicester rearguard sleeping.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Chapman; Lees, Helik, Nakayama; Kasumu, Wiles, Rudoni, Edmonds-Green, Headley; Koroma, Thomas
Key Stats
- Leicester City have won 11 of their last 12 league meetings against Huddersfield Town. Their last loss came in 1995.
- Huddersfield Town have lost their last eight away league games to Leicester City. They last defeated the Foxes in their own backyard in 1954.
- Leicester City and Huddersfield Town have played each other twice before on New Year’s Day. The Foxes won both clashes.
- Leicester last lost a game on New Year’s Day in 2008.
- Huddersfield Town have failed to win a single New Year’s Day game this century.
Player to Watch
Harry Winks
With Huddersfield expected to crowd their midfield, the onus will be on Winks to break through the lines and get the ball forward. The former Tottenham star has been a sensation acquisition for the Foxes and will once again aim to hold the midfield down alongside Wilfred Ndidi. As long as the duo hold the fort, they can draw in the Huddersfield players, opening up space for Leicester attackers to run into.
Prediction
Leicester City 2-0 Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield have struggled to score goals this season and will be up against a strong Foxes backline that has been ever so stingy at home. Enzo Maresca and Co. will hope to kick off 2024 with a bang and will have bigger fish to fry in the coming months. For now, a comfortable 2-0 win will do.
