Leicester City will look to consolidate their grip on top in the EFL Championship when they visit playoff hopefuls Hull City.
After losing three league games on the spin, Leicester City, who face Hull City this weekend, resumed normal service on Tuesday night when they edged out playoff hopefuls Sunderland 1-0, with veteran striker Jamie Vardy scoring their winner at the Stadium of Light.
Enzo Maresca’s side remain top of the tree at the time of writing and have a three-point cushion to protect. They will hope that that dip in form is now well behind them, with the race for the title and promotion hotting up.
Hull City head into their upcoming Championship clash against Leicester City on the back of their 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham City last time out. Ozan Tufan was on the scoresheet against the Blues.
Although they have not lost in six outings, they have regressed recently with three consecutive draws. The Tigers remain in sixth place on the table. They are two points inside the top six with 10 games left to play in the season.
Earlier in the campaign, the Tigers won the reverse match against Leicester City 1-0 back in September. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Hull City
Hull City could be without the services of Irish striker Aaron Connolly on Saturday afternoon after the former Brighton & Hove Albion man missed the draw with Birmingham City due to a dead leg.
Coupling the Irishman’s absence, Liam Delap’s knee injury, and Billy Sharp’s age, Tigers boss Liam Rosenior could be forced to field Ozan Tufan and Fabio Carvalho in an unfamiliar front two, with Noah Ohio left on the bench.
Abdulkadir Omur returned to the hosts’ midfield at the expense of Regan Slater last time out and could keep his place here, while Anass Zaroury is another bench option for the flanks.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Allsop; Coyle, Jones, Greaves, Giles; Omur, Morton, Seri, Philogene; Tufan, Carvalho
Leicester City
Leicester City midfield duo Wilfred Ndidi and Kasey McAteer are both still sidelined, while hamstring injuries for Dennis Praet and Ricardo Pereira have also reduced Enzo Maresca’s options.
The Foxes’ head coach can call upon Jannik Vestergaard, though, as the Danish centre-back returns after serving a suspension. However, Conor Coady has helped the Foxes keep clean sheets on his last three starts for Leicester City and could keep his place at the back against Hull City.
Patson Daka or Kelechi Iheanacho could lead the visitors’ front line. But veteran striker Jamie Vardy may be selected after his exploits at Sunderland. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Harry Winks, and Stephy Mavididi will be the other key players for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Choudhury, Faes, Coady, Doyle; Winks, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Akgun, Mavididi; Vardy
Key Stats
- Hull City have won just two of their last eight games in the 2023/24 EFL Championship (D2 L4).
- The Tigers will be looking to complete a league double over the Foxes for the first time since the 2007/08 season.
- Leicester City have won just one of their last four away league games against Hull City (D1 L2).
- Hull City went 16 league games without a draw between November and February (W9 L7) but have since drawn three matches in a row for the first time since April 2023.
- Leicester City have won three of their last four away league games (L1).
Player to Watch
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy will go down as one of the greats at Leicester City and could well have a future statue awaiting him in honour of his services to the club.
The 37-year-old has scored five goals across his last six league appearances, including a 13th-minute header that proved all the difference to snap the Foxes three-game losing run, proving that he still has a key role to play as the EFL Championship leaders edge their way back towards the Premier League.
Prediction
Hull City 1-2 Leicester City
This appears to be a vital encounter for both teams, particularly Hull City, who are aware that there is no margin for error in the playoff race. Leicester City’s midweek meeting against Sunderland has taken some of the pressure off, which could help the Foxes taking all three points on Saturday. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.
