Crystal Palace will hope to continue climbing through the Premier League table when they take on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
The 2022/23 Premier League season continues this week with Gameweek 11. And the action on Saturday will kick-start at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester City will play hosts to Crystal Palace, with both teams desperately searching for a win.
2022/23 has been a tumultuous season thus far for Leicester City. The Foxes are rooted to the bottom of the table after managing just four points from nine games. The pressure is mounting on Brendan Rodgers, who has struggled to steer his team to stability. But a promising run of fixtures will give Leicester fans some hope in the coming month.
The relegation threat has not evaded Crystal Palace either. But the Eagles have faced most of the big teams already and are staring at a decent run of fixtures until the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Patrick Vieira will hope for positive results following the 2-1 win over Leeds United last weekend. And Crystal Palace will hope to rise through the table in the coming weeks.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-1 win for Leicester City. Ademola Lookman and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored for the Foxes, with Wilfried Zaha pulling a goal back for Crystal Palace. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
On Crystal Palace 🦅
“It’s a good game, they shifted their football idea last season when Patrick [Vieira] came in. They’re a good team who are not too far ahead of us. I anticipate a tight game and a tough game.” pic.twitter.com/zS218odQUm
— Leicester City (@LCFC) October 13, 2022
Brendan Rodgers has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Crystal Palace. On Saturday, the Leicester City manager could be bereft of the services of as many as six first-team players.
Rodgers is sweating over the fitness of Jonny Evans (calf) and Timothy Castagne (eye). While Castagne should be fit and available, Evans faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. Ricardo Pereira (Achilles), Ryan Bertrand (knee), Wilfred Ndidi (hamstring), and Nampalys Mendy (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Danny Ward will take his place between the sticks against Crystal Palace, with Leicester City lining up in a 4-1-4-1 formation in front of him. And Castagne and Evans will likely be fit enough to feature in the defensive unit. Evans will pair up with Wout Faes at the heart of the Leicester defence, with Castagne and James Justin being the full-backs.
Boubakary Soumare picks himself as the holding midfield in Ndidi and Mendy’s absence. Youri Tielemans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will provide defensive support to the Frenchman. In addition, the duo will look to provide forward thrust from the middle of the park.
James Maddison has been a bright spot in a miserable season for Leicester. And the Englishman will be the pivotal figure for the Foxes against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy will join Maddison in the final third, with the duo hoping to deliver the goods.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ward; Castagne, Evans, Faes, Justin; Soumare; Maddison, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Vardy
Crystal Palace
Like his counterpart in the Leicester City dugout, Patrick Vieira has a new roster issue to contend with ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium. The Crystal Palace manager will be without six first-team players on Saturday.
Will Hughes is the latest absentee, with the Englishman missing out due to a viral infection. Hughes has joined Jack Butland (hand), Nathan Ferguson (foot), Nathaniel Clyne (ankle), Christopher Richards (leg), and James McArthur (groin) on the sidelines.
"Leicester is going to be another tough place to go, we have a good game plan and we will try to play the best we can."
Patrick Vieira 🎙#CPFC | #LEICRY pic.twitter.com/xQlFlZVuFP
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) October 14, 2022
Joel Ward picks himself as the right-back in Clyne’s absence, with Jeffrey Schlupp likely to continue as the left-back. Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi will form a solid central defensive partnership. The defensive unit will protect Vicente Guaita in the Crystal Palace goal.
The visitors will line up in their usual 4-3-3 formation on Saturday, with Cheick Doucoure being the holding midfielder. The Malian midfielder will look to keep James Maddison quiet while initiating moves for his team. Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze will provide defensive support to Doucoure.
But Olise and Eze will primarily look to push Crystal Palace forward. The young midfielders will aim to create overloads in the final third, thus giving Wilfried Zaha more freedom. Jordan Ayew will be the workhorse for Palace. Finally, Odsonne Edouard should lead the line against Leicester after scoring in the last two games.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Guaita; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Schlupp; Olise, Doucoure, Eze; Ayew, Edouard, Zaha
Key Stats
- Leicester City have won each of their last three Premier League home games against Crystal Palace, more than they had in their first seven versus them in the competition (W2 D1 L4). The Foxes have also scored more goals in these three matches (7) than in their first such seven at home against the Eagles (6).
- Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W7 D5) since a 1-0 loss at Burnley in November 2020.
- Since the start of the 2021/22 season, no side has dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League than Leicester (35, including 14 this season). Meanwhile, their 24 goals conceded so far is the Foxes’ joint-highest after nine games in their league history (also in 1965/66 and 1990/91).
- Wilfried Zaha has both scored (7) and been directly involved in (9) more Premier League goals against Leicester City than he has any other opponent. Only Harry Kane (18), Son Heung-min (9) and Dwight Yorke (8) have scored more Premier League goals against the Foxes than Zaha.
- No player has had more shots from outside the box than James Maddison in the Premier League this season (15). Three of his five goals this term have come from range – also a league-high.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
The spotlight usually falls on Wilfried Zaha in a Crystal Palace game, and rightly so. But Patrick Vieira also has some other brilliant talents at his disposal. One such player is Eberechi Eze, who has come into his own this season.
The 24-year-old endured a difficult 2021/22 campaign after recovering from a long-term injury. But Eze has put that behind him to become a pivotal figure for Crystal Palace. And his nippy movement and unpredictability give the Eagles an added dimension during transitions. Expect Eze to run riot against Leicester.
Prediction
Leicester City 1-2 Crystal Palace
Leicester City might be rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, but they are no pushovers. The Foxes have lost four Premier League games after scoring first this season, which, in a way, is a positive for Brendan Rodgers. And the hosts will look to put Crystal Palace to the sword on Saturday.
Meanwhile, both of Crystal Palace’s Premier League wins this term have come after conceding the first goal. On the other hand, two of their three defeats have come after opening the scoring. That trend should continue at the King Power Stadium, with James Maddison expected to find the back of the net.
However, Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze should rise to the occasion for Crystal Palace to deliver the three points. The Hard Tackle predicts an evenly-contested affair, with the Eagles coming from a goal down to beat Leicester 2-1.