Leicester City will be keen to keep their perfect start to the season going when they face Rotherham United.
High flying Leicester City will travel to the AESSEAL New York Stadium to take on a struggling Rotherham United on Saturday night in the EFL Championship.
The Foxes have gotten off to an excellent start, winning all three of their games so far this season as they plot an immediate return to the Premier League. So far, they are just one of the two teams to win all their games in the second division this term. So they will be favourites heading into the clash this weekend.
The Millers are coming off a poor 2022/23 campaign that saw them flirt with relegation. They eventually finished 19th, six points off the drop zone but won just 11 games all season in the league, a tally bettered by every team in the Championship bar the relegated Blackpool and Wigan Athletic.
Having picked up just one point from their opening three games, Rotherham could once again be in line for a long season. They could not have asked for a tougher opponent this weekend as Leicester go into the clash as favourites and have among the best squads in the league.
The onus is on Leicester to take the game to their opponents and if recent form is anything to go by, the result should be a foregone conclusion. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might implement.
Team News & Tactics
Rotherham United
📸 | Gearing up for the weekend ⚙#rufc | #ForeverTogetherForeverProud pic.twitter.com/kWQnLEbQ6A
— Rotherham United FC (@RotherhamUnited) August 24, 2023
The Millers will once again be battling relegation this season and will hope to retain their status as a Championship side. With just one point from the opening three games, they have not gotten off to the best of starts.
Home games will be key given that Rotherham’s last five league wins have all come at the AESSEAL New York Stadium. While getting anything against Leicester will be difficult, anything gained on the night will be a bonus.
Rotherham are likely to retain their 4-3-3 formation that could turn into a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1 as required. Viktor Johansson should start in goal behind the defensive quartet of Cohen Bramall, Tyler Blackett, Cameron Humphreys and Dexter Lembikisa.
The duo of Oliver Rathbone and Cafu should start alongside Christ Tiehi in central midfield and will need to match Leicester’s engine room to gain any footing in the centre of the pitch. Last week’s goalscorer Hakeem Odoffin should retain his spot on the right with the available again Fred Onyedinma slotting in on the left. They will support Jordan Hugill who should lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Johansson; Bramall, Blackett, Humphreys, Lembikisa; Rathbone, Tiehi, Cafu; Onyedinma, Hugill, Odoffin
Leicester City
Enzo Maresca’s side could not have asked for a better start to the campaign and morale will be high following their late win over Cardiff City last weekend. A trip to Rotherham should be a mere formality if recent form is anything to go by.
The Foxes will be without Conor Coady and Alex Smithies, both of whom are yet to recover from injury. Maresca has an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from and could spring some changes.
A 4-3-3 formation appears to be the way forward this weekend, with Mads Hermansen starting as the last line of defence. He will be protected by the back four of Callum Doyle, Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes and Ricardo Pereira.
🔵 We'll be in blue at Rotherham on Saturday 🔵#RTHLEI pic.twitter.com/b3i22RF4Dq
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 24, 2023
Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should retain their spots in midfield, with Cesare Casadei replacing Wilfried Ndidi in the starting XI. The Chelsea loanee will be tasked with playing further upfield and add more impetus to the attack.
Stephy Mavididi scored last time out and will start out wide, with Wanya Marcal-Madivadua doing the same on the other flank. Kelechi Iheanacho should retain his spot upfront with Patson Daka or Jamie Vardy coming on in the second half.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hermansen; Doyle, Vestergaard, Faes, Pereira; Dewsbury-Hall,Winks, Casadei; Mavididi, Iheanacho, Maraal-Madivadua
Key Stats
- This is the first meeting between Rotherham United and Leicester City in any competition since 2011.
- Leicester City have lost just two of their 18 league meetings against Rotherham United. This is their first meeting in the league since 2004.
- A win on the night will see Leicester City win their opening four games of a league campaign for the first time in history.
- No team has scored more goals than Leicester City (3) after the 75th minute this season in the Championship.
- Rotherham have conceded eight goals in their opening three Championship games, more than any other side in the division so far.
Player to Watch
Cesare Casadei
The Chelsea loanee made his debut for the Foxes in a spectacular season last weekend when he came off the bench to score the winner against Cardiff City in stoppage time.
Casadei is a talented player who can make a huge difference for Leicester and is expected to break into the starting XI this weekend. His presence will add much needed forward thrust from the Foxes centre and add another dimension to their frontline.
Prediction
Rotherham United 0-2 Leicester City
Rotherham’s major target this season will be to retain their status as a second tier club and are expected to get stuck in. However, Leicester City’s quality is expected to see them through the challenge and come away with another win on the board.
The Foxes have scored thrice already after the 75th minute in this season’s Championship, more than any other side in the division. This ability of the Foxes to find a second wind in the final stages is poor news for Rotherham who have conceded late in their last two games.
