Leicester City will be eager to return to winning ways in the EFL Championship when they welcome Swansea City to the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
The 2023/24 EFL Championship continues on Tuesday, with Matchday 29 concluding with three midweek fixtures. Tuesday night will have Leicester City hosting Swansea City at the King Power Stadium, with both teams eager to return to winning ways.
Leicester City might have failed to win the last two EFL Championship games. But they are still cruising to the title win, with second-placed Ipswich Town seven points behind them. Meanwhile, the Foxes returned to winning ways this past weekend, beating Birmingham City to reach the FA Cup fifth round.
As for Swansea City, the Swans have been hit-and-miss thus far this season, failing to win 20 of their 28 outings. But while they are closer to the relegation zone than the playoff spots, they are only ten points adrift of sixth-placed Coventry City. So, a late charge is not out of the question.
The reverse fixture saw Leicester City coming from a goal down to beat Swansea City 3-1, with Kelechi Iheanacho scoring the game-clinching goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
Enzo Maresca has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Swansea City on Tuesday, the Leicester City manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
The good news is that Patson Daka is back after representing Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations. But Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Kelechi Iheanacho remain at the AFCON, while Harry Souttar is representing Australia at the AFC Asian Cup. In addition, Wilfred Ndidi is a long-term absentee due to a leg injury.
Leicester City will line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Swansea City, with Mads Hermansen taking his usual spot between the sticks. Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes should form the central defensive pairing, with James Justin and Ricardo Pereira being the two full-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Hamza Choudhury will deputise for Ndidi as the holding midfielder, with Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall supporting him in the middle of the park. The duo will also provide the forward thrust from the middle of the park. Finally, Tom Cannon will lead the line for Leicester against Swansea, with Kasey McAteer and Stephy Mavididi being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hermansen; Pereira, Vestergaard, Faes, Justin; Winks, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall; Mavididi, Cannon, McAteer
Swansea City
Unlike his counterpart in the Leicester City dugout, Luke Williams does not have any good news to greet ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium. The Swansea City manager will be without six first-team players on Tuesday.
Ben Cabango (ankle), Liam Walsh (calf), Josh Key (hamstring), Josh Ginnelly (muscle injury), Azeem Abdulai (thigh), and Jamal Lowe (muscle injury) remain in the treatment room. The sextet will not feature this midweek.
Carl Rushworth will take his place between the sticks, with Swansea City lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Leicester City. Harry Darling and Josh Tymon should be the two full-backs, with Bashir Humphreys and Nathan Wood pairing up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Charlie Patino should accompany Jay Fulton and captain Matt Grimes. The trio will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Finally, Jerry Yates will lead the line for Swansea City against Leicester City, with Josh Cullen and Jamie Paterson reprising central roles behind him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Rushworth; Darling, Wood, Humphreys, Tymon; Patino, Grimes, Fulton; Paterson, Cullen; Yates
Key Stats
- Leicester City can complete a league double over Swansea City for the first time since the 2015/16 season when they won the Premier League title.
- Swansea City are without a win over Leicester City in 12 visits (D4 L8) since a 3-2 victory in October 1950.
- Leicester City have won 13 of their last 16 games at home in all competitions (D1 L2), emerging victorious in six of the most recent seven clashes.
- Swansea City have suffered two defeats by a five-goal margin in their last seven outings in all competitions (0-5 vs Southampton and 0-5 vs Bournemouth). They had managed those many losses in 353 games before this run.
- Luke Williams’s last five league games in charge (three with Notts County, two with Swansea City) have seen 22 goals (13 for, nine against), including eight in two outings with the Swans (three for, five against).
Player to Watch
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
With Leicester City missing some big guns, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has more riding on his shoulders. One of the most experienced players in Enzo Maresca’s team, among the available players, the Englishman has enjoyed a solid 2023/24 campaign.
His excellent performances have helped him capture the attention of high-profile clubs, with Arsenal among his prospective suitors. But Dewsbury-Hall will likely see out the 2023/24 season before embarking on a new adventure, if at all. How he fares on Tuesday will determine if Leicester City can return to winning ways in the EFL Championship.
Prediction
Leicester City 2-0 Swansea City
Leicester City and Swansea City might have similar recent runs in the EFL Championship. But the Swans have been on a downward slope in the last few weeks, with Luke Williams not galvanising the unit yet. Since taking over from former caretaker manager Andy Sheehan, Williams has overseen only one victory, with the most recent three games ending in winless results.
On the other hand, Leicester City returned to winning ways with a convincing performance against Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round. Enzo Maresca’s charges should continue that run and add to Williams’s woes at Swansea. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the Foxes.
