Leicester City will look to go into the new year with a healthy lead atop the EFL Championship when they take on Cardiff City on Friday.
The games are coming thick and fast in the EFL Championship, with all 12 matches on Matchday 25 coming on Friday. The action on the day will end in Wales, with Cardiff City hosting Leicester City at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Cardiff City came into the 2023/24 season after finishing 21st in the standings last season. So, to climb to the 11th spot, just two points outside the playoffs positions, is an impressive feat by the Welsh outfit. The hosts head into Friday’s game on the back of an entertaining 2-2 draw with Plymouth Argyle.
Like Cardiff City, Leicester City played out an engrossing stalemate earlier this week, with a late Jannik Vestergaard own goal forcing them to share the spoils at Portman Road. The Foxes have been dominant in the EFL Championship this season, opening up a six-point lead atop the table, with Enzo Maresca’s men looking good to return to the Premier League.
The reverse fixture saw Leicester City eke out a narrow 2-1 win over Cardiff City, with Cesare Casadei scoring an injury-time winner. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Cardiff City
Erol Bulut does not have any new fitness concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Leicester City on Friday, the Cardiff City manager will be bereft of the services of two first-team players.
Aaron Ramsey is a long-term absentee due to a knee injury. But the veteran Welsh midfielder should be available towards the end of January. Meanwhile, Callum O’Dowda is closing in on his return from a leg issue. But Friday’s game has come too soon for him.
Jan Alnwick will take his spot between the sticks, with Cardiff City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Leicester City. Dimitrios Goutas and Mark McGuinness will pair up at the heart of the defence, while Perry Ng and Jamilu Collins will be the two full-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Wintle and captain Joe Ralls will take their places in the double pivot. The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park while looking for chances to provide the forward thrust. Rubin Colwill will reprise the no. 10 role, while Josh Bowler and Karlan Grant will be the two wide attackers. Finally, Kion Etete should lead the line for Cardiff against Leicester City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, McGuinness, Collins; Ralls, Wintle; Bowler, Colwill, Grant; Etete
Leicester City
Like his counterpart in the Cardiff City dugout, Enzo Maresca does not have any new issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Cardiff City Stadium. The Leicester City manager will be without three first-team players on Friday.
Kasey McAteer (muscle injury) and Jamie Vardy (knock) are the most notable absentees for the home side. Marc Albrighton is the only other player on the sidelines, with the experienced midfielder recovering from a knee issue.
Leicester City will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Cardiff City, with Mads Hermansen taking his spot between the sticks. James Justin should return to the starting eleven after getting some rest on Boxing Day. Justin’s return will mean Wout Faes will pair up with Jannik Vestergaard at the heart of the defence, with Ricardo Pereira completing the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Harry Winks will join Wilfred Ndidi in the double pivot. Ndidi will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, while Winks will provide the forward thrust. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should reprise the no. 10 role, with Abdul Fatawu Isahaku and Stephy Mavididi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Patson Daka will spearhead the Leicester attack against Cardiff City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi; Fatawu, Dewsbury-Hall, Mavididi, Daka
Key Stats
- Leicester City will look to complete a league double over Cardiff City for the first time since the 1961/62 season.
- The Foxes are unbeaten in their last four away games against Cardiff, claiming one win and three draws since a 2-0 loss in February 2011.
- Cardiff City have won their final match in just two of the last ten calendar years (D4 L4), with both coming on the road.
- Leicester City suffered a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool to close out 2022. The Foxes have not lost their final league game in consecutive years since doing so in 2017 and 2018.
- Leicester City have won their last three league games in Wales (two wins over Swansea City and one over Cardiff City). That’s more victories than in their previous 15 trips to Wales (W2 D4 L9).
Player to Watch
Patson Daka
With Jamie Vardy still unavailable, Patson Daka has another opportunity to stamp his authority for Leicester City. Kelechi Iheanacho has blown hot and cold this season, while Patson Daka has recently come in favour with Enzo Maresca.
The Zambian striker has done reasonably well thus far, scoring four goals and providing two assists in his last five outings. While he will soon embark for the Africa Cup of Nations, Daka will be eager to go out with a bang. And what better way to do so than by delivering three points to Leicester City against Cardiff City?
Prediction
Cardiff City 1-2 Leicester City
Cardiff City might have recovered from back-to-back defeats in the last two games. But Erol Bulut’s men do not have a good recent record at the Cardiff City Stadium, winning just once and losing thrice (D1) in their most recent five home matches.
Meanwhile, Leicester City’s away form is impeccable, with the Foxes having the best record on their travels in the EFL Championship this season. Enzo Maresca’s men have won nine of their 11 matches on the road, picking up a league-high 28 points.
The visitors should add to that tally on Friday, although Cardiff City will not go down without a fight. The Hard Tackle predicts Enzo Maresca’s charges to eke out a narrow 2-1 win to end 2023 strongly.