Leeds United will welcome Leicester City to Elland Road on Monday night in what promises to be an entertaining contest in the 2020/21 Premier League.
Leeds United and Leicester City will lock horns against each other in the final fixture of matchweek seven of the 2020/21 Premier League at Elland Road on Monday.
Leeds have made an eventful start to life in the Premier League and have easily been one of the most entertaining teams to watch so far this season. The Whites are currently ninth in the table following their 3-0 win against Aston Villa last time out. And Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping that his team are able to build upon that performance and rack up another victory.
Leicester have once again been very impressive, already beating the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal in the new campaign. The Foxes, sitting sixth in the table, have recovered from back-to-back defeats against West Ham United and Aston Villa, winning their last three games in all competitions. Their most recent fixture ended in a 3-1 triumph against AEK Athens in the Europa League.
The last time Leeds and Leicester City clashed was in October 2017, in a League Cup contest, in which the Foxes prevailed 3-1. And ahead of their latest meeting at Elland Road this Monday, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both the teams.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
Leeds have been handed a major injury boost with club captain and key defender Liam Cooper available for selection after recovering from a groin issue. However, they continue to remain without midfield mainstay Kalvin Phillips and summer signing Diego Llorente.
? Marcelo gives an update on #LUFC captain Liam Cooper's return and his thoughts on Monday's clash
— Leeds United (@LUFC) October 30, 2020
Cooper should walk right back into the starting lineup, slotting in at the heart of the Whites’ backline. He ought to pair up with Robin Koch at the centre, with Luke Ayling moving to his natural right-back slot. That would mean Stuart Dallas should move to left-back, with Ezgjan Alioski dropping out to the bench.
Phillips’s absence is a blow for the hosts and while Pascal Struijk was hauled off just 21 minutes into the game against Aston Villa last time out, he is likely to start again, ahead of the more attack-minded Jamie Shackleton.
Mateusz Klich and marquee summer arrival Rodrigo Moreno will occupy the two attacking midfield slots for the Whites, with Pablo Hernandez an option from the bench. Helder Costa and Jack Harrison will provide the threat from the wide areas and look to create chances for in-form striker Patrick Bamford.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Dallas; Struijk; Costa, Rodrigo, Klich, Harrison; Bamford
Leicester City
Leicester’s injury issues in defence have compounded heading into Monday’s clash as Timothy Castagne faces a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Jonny Evans is also a doubt due to a back problem. Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey and Wilfred Ndidi are ruled out, while Ricardo Pereira remains unavailable as well.
Rodgers is likely to stick with the three-man backline that has worked well for the Foxes of late. And with Evans’s involvement a doubt, captain Wes Morgan, Wesley Fofana and Christian Fuchs are likely to slot in as the three central defenders once again, although there is the option of using James Justin as the right-sided centre-back.
However, the Englishman is expected to continue to operate as the left-sided wing-back with Marc Albrighton slotting in on the opposite flank in Castagne’s absence.
The duo will flank the central midfield partnership of Youri Tielemans and Nampalys Mendy, who ought to come in for Hamza Choudhury in spite of him scoring in midweek. Cengiz Under enjoyed an impressive outing against Athens and should be given a start here as one of the two attacking midfielders.
The Turkish international will have James Maddison for company, with the pair showing signs of a budding partnership on Thursday night. And spearheading the attack for the Foxes will be none other than Jamie Vardy.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Schmeichel; Fofana, Morgan, Fuchs; Albrighton, Tielemans, Mendy, Justin; Under, Maddison; Vardy
Betting Odds
Favourable Tips
- Leeds vs Leicester – Over 2.5 Match Goals – YES @ 1.72
Key Stats
- This will be the first meeting in the Premier League between Leeds United and Leicester City since April 2004. The Whites had prevailed on that occasion, beating the Foxes 3-2 at Elland Road, although both teams ended up getting relegated that season.
- Leicester City have lost just two of their previous 13 league meetings against Leeds United (W5 D6).
- Since Marcelo Bielsa took over at Elland Road in August 2018, only Liverpool (66) and Manchester City (60) have won more league games than Leeds United (57) across England’s top four divisions.
- Leicester City will be looking to win five of their first seven league games of a top-flight campaign for the first time ever in the club’s history.
- Leeds United have scored 12 goals in the Premier League this season. That tally is the most by a newly-promoted team at this stage of a campaign since Middlesbrough in 1992/93 (also 12).
Player to Watch
Patrick Bamford
Patrick Bamford during this season ?
?️ 6 games
⚽️ 6 goals
?2 assists pic.twitter.com/BofmjmgyJ5— VBET News (@VBETnews) October 26, 2020
The 27-year-old Englishman has made a blazing start to life in the Premier League and has been key to Leeds’ impressive run of results since promotion. Bamford has scored six goals in his six league appearances so far in 2020/21, becoming the first Whites’ player since Eric Cantona in 1992/93 to do so in a top-flight campaign.
Coming up against someone like Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs, the former Chelsea academy ace will fancy his chances to add to the tally after his brilliant hat-trick against Aston Villa last time out. How Bamford fares against the Foxes will have a major bearing on the outcome of the game.
Prediction
Leeds United 2-2 Leicester City
Both Leeds United and Leicester City head into the game on the back of impressive results and good goalscoring form. And considering the way the two teams play, it promises to be an entertaining affair at Elland Road on Monday night.
Leeds have been involved in a number of high-scoring affairs this term and with Leicester missing key defenders, it could prove to be the same case on Monday as well, more so given the form that Patrick Bamford and Jamie Vardy are in. The Hard Tackle, thus, predicts this one to end in a high-scoring draw.
