Leicester City will be keen to garner winning momentum as they travel to the Kirklees Stadium to face Huddersfield Town.
Huddersfield Town will welcome newly-relegated Leicester City to the John Smith Stadium on Saturday for the second gameweek of the 2023/23 EFL Championship season.
The Foxes were one of the high-profile casualties to drop down from the Premier League in recent years and are swiftly looking for a return to the big time. They began their campaign with a 2-1 win over Coventry City and will now look to put together a series of victories to boost momentum.
Huddersfield have fallen from grace in recent years and only staved off relegation last season thanks to a late flurry of wins. Neil Warnock will hope to repeat the trick on the second time asking and ensure that the Terriers stay put in the second tier come the end of the current campaign.
Huddersfield lost their opening game 3-1 to Plymouth Argyle and also crashed out of the EFL Cu[p courtesy of a 3-2 loss to Middlesbrough midweek. Warnock will be keen to stem the poor run of form this early in the campaign and a win over a celebrated opponent such as Leicester will certainly boost confidence.
The Foxes might have lost several key players this summer but have a core of proven professionals who can more than give the best teams in the league a run for their money. Enzo Maresca’s side have started the campaign well and have won both of their competitive games across all competitions so far.
The English second tier is notorious for its competitiveness, and Leicester cannot afford to drop points to sides that are inferior to them. A visit to Huddersfield will not be easy but putting another three points on the board will make it worthwhile. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might implement.
Team News and Tactics
Huddersfield Town
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— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) August 10, 2023
The Terriers were flirting with relegation last season before Neil Warnock arrived to work his magic. Having been rewarded with a contract extension, the veteran manager will be aware of the challenge that he faces this time around.
A poor start to the campaign has not helped, but there is little time now to delve into missed opportunities. A first home game of the campaign should give the side a lift with supporters in the field to boot. Warnock shuffled his side for the EFL Cup defeat midweek and is expected to bring back his big names for the clash on Saturday.
Huddersfield will be without the injured trio of David Kasumu, Tom Lees, and Oliver Turton, while Jahiem Headley is suspended for the tie. Matty Pearson was also taken off early against Plymouth and is unlikely to be risked.
Warnock is expected to return his side to a 4-2-3-1 formation after trying out the 3-4-1-2 midweek. Lee Nicholls should start in goal as the last line of defence behind the back four of Tom Edwards, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Michał Helik and Josh Ruffels.
Jack Rudoni and Jonathan Hogg should form the double pivot with Brahima Diarra functioning higher up in the creative role. Sorba Thomas and Josh Koroma are expected to start out wide while Danny Ward should start up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Nicholls; Edwards, Edmonds-Green, Helik, Ruffels; Rudoni, Hogg; Thomas, Diarra, Koroma; Ward
Leicester City
Mere years after their famous Premier League triumph, Leicester now face the challenge of returning to the top flight and fighting against their fall from grace. They have so far done well, winning both of their competitive games. A win on the road this Saturday will help them build momentum that could be carried over into a solid promotion bid.
Enzo Maresca will be without Conor Coady, who is still out injured, while Victor Kristiansen and Alex Smithies also appear set to miss out. A 4-3-3 appears to be the flavour of the night and the formation should give the Foxes flexibility to adapt to the game as they see fit.
Final prep 💪 pic.twitter.com/UbHUsnjPvD
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 11, 2023
Mads Hermansen should start in goal behind the backline of Ricardo Pereira, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard and Callum Doyle. The midfield three of the Foxes should be anchored by Wilfred Ndidi, while Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall flank him in the middle of the park.
Kelechi Iheanacho is expected to get the nod upfront, with James Vardy and Patson Daka likely to come off the bench. Kasey McAteer and Stephy Mavididi should start outside and provide width on the night.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Doyle; Ndidi, Winks, Dewsbury-Hall; McAteer, Iheanacho, Mavididi
Key Stats
- Huddersfield have not defeated Leicester in the league since 1995. The Foxes have won ten games and drawn one another since then.
- Huddersfield and Leicester last played a league game against each other in 2019.
- A win on the night will see Huddersfield win three home games in the league on the trot for the first time since 2020.
- A win on the night will see Leicester secure three straight victories in a row for the first time since January 2021.
Player to Watch
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
With James Maddison and Harvey Barnes both gone, it is Dewsbury-Hall’s time to shine. The 24-year-old is an all-action midfielder and has started the campaign well. A solid dribbler who will get forward from the midfield, he scored twice on the opening day handing Leicester a win.
The 24-year-old will once again be tasked with providing the creative spark in midfield and feeding the likes of Iheanacho goalscoring opportunities. Dewsbury-Hall is also attracting attention from Liverpool and a strong season could enhance his reputation.
Prediction
Huddersfield Town 0-2 Leicester City
Huddersfield Town will have home support and will prove to be dogged opponents. But Leicester City have momentum and are the better team on paper. Ultimately their quality should shine through, leading them to a 2-0 win on the night.