West Ham United will look to build on their win over Leeds United when they take on Leicester City in their final Premier League game of the season.
West Ham United are currently 14th in the league table, and they will be hoping to finish as high as possible with a victory away from home against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
On the other hand, Leicester City are 18th in the league table, and they will be desperate to get out of the bottom three and preserve their status as a Premier League club.
A win here does not secure Leicester’s place in the Premier League next year, and they will have to hope that Everton drop points in their game. Leicester City have failed to win five of the last six league matches, and they will have to improve immensely in order to grind out all three points here.
West Ham will probably be the favourites, having picked up two wins from the last three league matches. The last time these two sides met in the league, Leicester picked up a 2-0 win away from home at West Ham. And they will be hoping to complete a league double over the London club.
Taking on the Foxes in our final Premier League game of the season ⚒️#WHUFC | @huboofulfilment pic.twitter.com/66SwjMTy9G
— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 26, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
The home side will be without James Justin, Jannik Vestergaard, Kelechi Iheanacho and Danny Ward due to injuries.
The Foxes are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Daniel Iversen in goal. Timothy Castagne and Victor Kristiansen will be deployed as the full-backs. Wout Faes will start in central defence alongside Caglar Soyuncu.
Wilfred Ndidi will look to break up the opposition play as the defensive midfielder. He will start in a midfield pivot alongside Youri Tielemans. Tete and Harvey Barnes are likely to start as the wingers and they will look to add creativity from the wide areas. James Maddison will look to link the midfield with the attack as the number ten here. Jamie Vardy is set to lead the line for the hosts.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Iversen; Castagne, Faes, Soyuncu, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Tielemans; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy
West Ham United
The Hammers are without Gianluca Scamacca due to an injury. Other than that, David Moyes has a fully fit squad to choose from. West Ham will start in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well, with Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
Ben Johnson and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Kurt Zouma will start in central defence along with Nayef Aguerd.
In the midfield pivot, Declan Rice will start with Tomas Soucek. The two players will look to protect the central defenders and add drive to the midfield. Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals will look to add creativity from the wide areas and Lucas Paqueta will be the central attacking midfielder here. Danny Ings is set to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Johnson, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Fornals; Ings
Key Stats
- Leicester City have failed to win 14 of their last 15 matches in the Premier League.
- West Ham United are unbeaten in four of their last six meetings against Leicester City.
- 24 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between West Ham United and Leicester City.
- West Ham United have lost four of their last six league matches.
- Leicester City have failed to win five of their last six league matches.
Player to Watch
James Maddison
🚨 James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are benched for Leicester 🚨#FPL #NEWLEI pic.twitter.com/RMXmhjV9mo
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) May 22, 2023
Maddison has been Leicester’s best player this season, scoring ten goals and picking up nine assists in the league. He is in fine form heading into this game with three assists and a goal in his last five outings. Leicester will need him to unlock the West Ham defence and perhaps chip in with a goal as well. He is our man to watch out for on Sunday.
Prediction
Leicester City 2-1 West Ham United
Leicester City have everything to play for here and they will be desperate for the win. West Ham can be quite inconsistent and this will be a difficult game for the visitors. In addition to that, the Hammers have nothing to play for and they could lack motivation.
Leicester have big-game players like Maddison and Vardy at their disposal and they should be able to edge this contest at home. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the Foxes.