Leicester City will aim for a third consecutive win in the Premier League as they host Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest at the King Power Stadium.
Former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper will be a relieved man following his side’s display at the weekend, as Leicester City overcame a two-goal deficit to win a 3-2 reverse against Southampton. The Foxes found themselves behind early in the game as a Cameron Archer striker allowed the Saints to lead, and then they doubled it through Joe Aribo midway through the first half.
The Saints managed to keep the Foxes quiet in the second period, but a 64th-minute goal from Facundo Bounanotte began a fightback. Cooper’s men got lucky with a 73rd-minute sending-off for Ryan Fraser for preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity. Veteran Jamie Vardy dispatched the resulting penalty to bring the game level. It took until the 98th minute for Jordan Ayew to find the winner and the three points.
The win was their second in a row following a narrow victory over Bournemouth before the international break. Cooper will now target a third on the bounce against his former side, Nottingham Forest. Those two results have been tremendous in the context of how Leicester began their season, as they were winless in the first six games. However, those six points have opened a big gap between them and the relegation zone.
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, could argue they are one of the most improved teams from last season, as Nuno Espirito Santo is finally getting to shape this team in his style. They have been defensively resilient and taking their chances in the final third. Only Liverpool have conceded less than Forest’s six goals this campaign in the Premier League, as the backline has been their base for success.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest moved to eighth in the standings after a narrow win over Crystal Palace on Monday night, as a solitary Chris Wood striker proved enough. In fact, Espirito Santo’s men have lost just once this season in the Premier League, which came against Fulham, while managing a win over Liverpool and a draw to Chelsea, both away from home.
Espirito Santo will want to continue this superb form as he takes his side to their midland rivals Leicester in this Friday night clash to begin the weekend’s action. This does have the hallmarks of a tight game and could be an entertaining encounter to watch.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
As Steve Cooper returns to his old stomping grounds, he does have a few selection headaches after two wins on the bounce. The challenge of facing Nottingham Forest represents some change in tactics using the personnel he has in the squad.
On the injury front, Patson Daka, Jakub Stolarczyk, Hamza Choudhury and Jannik Vestergaard are all out of contention. In the two wins over Bournemouth and Southampton, Cooper has preferred Oliver Skipp and Wilfred Ndidi in his midfield, while Harry Winks continues to push to replace Skipp in that role.
Whether Cooper makes that call remains the question, although he might persist with what has worked in the last two games. In-form attacker Bounanotte will be a man in focus as he continues to keep his place in the attacking third, while Jordan Ayew has done no harm to his chances after that late winner against Southampton.
Cooper could hand Abdul Fatawu a rare start after the winger impressed off the bench in the last game from an attacking sense, while veteran Jamie Vardy, who has scored three goals from nine shots on target this term, will continue to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Skipp, Ndidi; Buonanotte, Ayew, Fatawu; Vardy
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo will welcome Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse back into the squad following their suspensions, although there are fitness doubts about the former, who may not be risked with a start.
The latter might come in to replace Nicolas Dominguez, although he could persist with the Argentine following his excellent performance against Crystal Palace. With Gibbs-White a significant doubt, Elliot Anderson has done nothing wrong to suggest he could lose his place.
In fact, he was terrific against Palace in that No.10 role, as Espirito Santo could persist with him there. Up front, Chris Wood will continue to lead the line after scoring his fifth goal of the league season on Monday, as he will aim to add to his tally on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Dominguez; Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Key Stats
- Leicester City have picked up five points from losing positions this season.
- Leicester are one of the two sides that have scored in every game this season.
- Nottingham Forest have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches against Leicester City in all competitions.
- Nottingham Forest boasts the second-best defensive record in the league this season.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in six Premier League away games, their longest such run since 1995.
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
Amid all the summer talk of bringing in a new striker, Nottingham Forest went close to signing Eddie Nketiah and Santiago Gimenez, but both deals fell through. The idea of persisting with Chris Wood seemed to be a decent one, although the striker has been one of their top performers this season.
Wood will aim to notch his sixth goal of the current season and continue his good form in the attacking third. Under Nuno Espirito Santo, he has been clicking into gear, as have some of his attacking colleagues. Forest will aim to get three points and maintain their current six-game unbeaten run away from home.
Prediction
Leicester City 1-2 Nottingham Forest
The fact that Leicester City are on a winning run may be a positive one for Steve Cooper, but he will know the underlying issues with his defence. While they did win from two goals down, the Foxes are still conceding plenty of chances and goals.
Unlike Southampton, Nottingham Forest will be defensively resilient and alert to the prospect of conceding against Leicester City. Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are showing the attacking capabilities and clinical form in front of goal, which should see them cross the line against the Foxes and take all three points away from home on Friday night.
