Fifth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion are all set to hit the road to square up against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Leicester City returned to winning ways post the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new boss, and they will look to maintain the impressive start when they host Brighton & Hove Albion, who have been a bit inconsistent of late, at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The home team find themselves 16th on the Premier League table with just 13 points from their 14 outings. The Foxes have only won three matches so far, but the good part is that they won in their last outing.
After a six-game winless run that resulted in the sacking of Steve Cooper, Leicester City bounced back with an impressive 3-1 win over West Ham in van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge. They will be looking to build on that result in this home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The visitors are fifth on the table with 23 points in their 14 outings thanks to six wins, five draws and just three defeats. Brighton & Hove Albion were on a three-match unbeaten run before they ended up suffering a defeat at the hands of Fulham last time out.
While the Seagulls did dominate the ball, things did not go according to plan as they ended up losing 3-1 to Fulham. Now, they will be looking to return to winning ways, but van Nistelrooy’s men won’t make it any easier for them. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
On loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, the in-demand Facundo Buonanotte is ineligible to square up against his parent club. So, there will be a forced change in the final third of the pitch for Leicester City. The home team remain without the services of Harry Winks, Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu.
Leicester City will line in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Mads Hermansen taking charge in goal. James Justin and Victor Kristiansen will be the full-backs, while Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard will feature in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit Wilfred Ndidi will partner Boubakary Soumaré in the centre of the park. They will not only shield the backline but also look to ensure they control the tempo of the game.
Kasey McAteer and Stephy Mavididi will feature on the flanks while Bilal El Khannouss will be the attacking midfielder behind veteran striker Jamie Vardy, who will lead the line for Leicester City against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare; McAteer, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Vardy
Brighton & Hove Albion
The visitors will be without the services of Jack Hinshelwood, Ferdi Kadioglu, Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, and Solly March. Fabian Hurzeler will have limited options, and he is unlikely to make any major changes to the XI that started in their last outing.
The Seagulls will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Bart Verbruggen will be in goal. Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan will be the full-backs, while Igor Julio and Lewis Dunk will be the two central defenders.
As for the midfield unit, Carlos Baleba and Matt O’Riley will form the double pivot in front of the backline. They will provide a strong base to attack from. Georginio Rutter will be the creative midfielder, with Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma taking charge on the flanks. The duo will provide the width to their attacks, while Joao Pedro will lead the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, Igor, Dunk, Estupinan; O’Riley, Baleba; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro
Key Stats
- Three out of the last six matches between the two teams have ended in a draw. Brighton & Hove Albion have won twice, while Leicester City have the solitary win.
- The Seagulls have failed to win a game in their last six visits to the King Power Stadium.
- Leicester City recorded their first win since October 19 against West Ham United last time out.
- Brighton’s defeat to Fulham was their only third loss under Fabian Hurzeler. The other two defeats came against the top two of the Premier League – Chelsea and Liverpool.
- Only Southampton and Wolves, the bottom two teams have conceded more goals than Leicester City (28) this season.
Player to Watch
Jamie Vardy
Vardy is still going strong at 37 with five goals and two assists in his 13 Premier League outings thus far this season. With Facundo Buonanotte unavailable, all eyes will be on the skipper, and Ruud van Nistelrooy will hope he steps up and gets the job done for them.
Prediction
Leicester City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
While Brighton & Hove Albion have been the better team for the majority of the season, they are heading into this fixture against Leicester City on the back of a loss and might find it difficult to square up against a team that will be high on confidence having returned to winning ways last time out.
The Foxes might be fighting relegation but they will still make life difficult for the Seagulls. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the home team.
