Leicester City will seek to regain their winning touch when they face Stoke City on Saturday night.
Leicester City returned to winning ways in the EFL Championship last time against Swansea City and will hope to back it up with another three points, this time away to Stoke City.
The Foxes are currently top of the English second tier and are the favourites to secure promotion to the top flight as Championship winners. Enzo Maresca’s side have a ten-point lead over second-placed Ipswich Town albeit having played a game more. Another win will ensure they hold off the chasing pack by a fair distance.
While Leicester are seeking to immediately restore their Premier League status, Stoke City, once top-flight regulars have fallen well off. They are enduring a poor 2023/24 campaign and are just seven points off the relegation zone.
On paper, the game is likely to be one-sided despite Leicester’s absentees. A win on Saturday will see the Foxes secure a league double over the Potters for the first time in four decades. Stoke City will take what they can from the fixture following a poor run of just two wins in 15 Championship games.
Steven Schumacher faces an enormous task in his efforts to salvage Stoke’s faltering campaign. It might be too much to ask of his side to take points off Leicester, but given the Foxes’ soft underbelly, anything is possible. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Stoke City
The defeat to Sunderland last time around once again encapsulated the extent of the job on Steven Schumacher’s hands. A win over Leicester City could certainly act as a rallying point for the Potters.
They will welcome back Junior Tchamadeu, who is back from the Africa Cup of Nations. Emre Tezgel and Josh Laurent are both out injured, while Frank Fielding and D’Margio Wright-Phillips are doubts for the game. More so, the goalkeeper Daniel Iversen should drop out for the night given that he is on loan from Leicester City.
Stoke City are likely to play in a 4-3-3 formation that can double up as a 4-5-1 when needed. Mark Travers should start in goal behind the back four of Lynden Gooch, Ben Wilmot, Michael Rose, and Jordan Thompson.
Wouter Burger should keep the midfield strong, with Luke Cundle and Lewis Baker in support. Ryan Mmaee should lead the line. with Sead Haksabanovic and Andre Vidigal up front.
Probable Lineup(4-3-3): Iversen; Gooch, Wilmot, Rose, Thompson; Cundle, Burger, Baker; Vidigal, Mmaee, Haksabanovic
Leicester City
The Foxes are back to winning ways and have now won two games in all competitions heading into Saturday. They will also welcome back Abdul Fatawu, who has served his three-game suspension for a red card.
However, his return to the playing XI is suspect given Yunus Akgun’s purple patch in front of the goal. Dennis Paret was linked with an exit from the King Power in January but should retain his spot in the playing XI. Enzo Maresca’s side will be without Wilfred Ndidi. Meanwhile, Kelechi Iheanacho and Harry Souttar are away with Nigeria and Australia at the AFCON and Asian Cup respectively.
Leicester City are expected to line up in their trademark 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mads Hermansen in goal as the last line of defence. He is expected to be protected by the back four of Callum Doyle, Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, and Ricardo Pereira.
Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should form the double pivot in central midfield, with Denis Praet acting as the number 10. Yunus Akgun and Stephy Mavididi should provide the width, with Patson Daka leading the line. This will help Leicester shift to a 4-3-3 formation if needed. Kasey McAteer and Thomas Cannon will offer further options off the bench.
Probable Lineup(4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Doyle; Winks, Dewsbury-Hall; Akgun, Praet, Mavididi; Daka
Key Stats
- Stoke City have failed to defeat Leicester City in their last seven league meetings.
- A win on the night will see Leicester City do the league double over Stoke City for the first time since 1989/90.
- Stoke City have won just two of their last 15 EFL Championship games.
- A loss will see Leicester City lose consecutive away games for the first time this season.
- A loss on the night will see Stoke City manager Steven Schumacher lose three league games in a row for the first time ever.
Player to Watch
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
The midfielder is more or less Leicester City’s driving force and will have a big say in where they finish in the Championship this season. Dewsbury-Hall is likely to play a deeper role on Saturday but will once again be the glue that connects the defence to the attack.
The youngster’s ability to progress possession will open up avenues for the Foxes attackers and pave the way for them to find the back of the net. As long as he is shackled down, Stoke City have a shot at securing something out of the game.
Prediction
Stoke City 1-2 Leicester City
Leicester City are slowly yet surely rediscovering their form and having some of their sidelined stars back available will help. Enzo Maresca will be keen for his side to build momentum and should see them come away from Stoke with another three points in the bag.
