LEICESTER VS LIVERPOOL: Leicester team news and predicted Xi (4-2-1-3), Pereira, Ndidi and Tete to start as Dean Smith makes crucial changes in must-win clash
At risk of inching ever closer to relegation from the Premier League, Leicester City’s penultimate home game of the season takes place on Monday night, as top-four chasing Liverpool visit the King Power Stadium.
Dean Smith’s sorry side ended up on the wrong end of a 5-3 scoreline in a frenzied Bank Holiday battle with Fulham last time out, while the Reds kept up their pursuit of Champions League football by overcoming Brentford 1-0.
Smith’s side were loudly booed off by their travelling fans at half time, by which point Willian, Carlos Vinicius and Tom Cairney had propelled the hosts into a merited 3-0 lead, and despite ‘winning’ the second half 3-2 as Fulham took their foot off the gas, a ghastly first 45 had already done the damage.
Smith was in no mood to reward his players with a customary day off following their Craven Cottage calamity, and for the time being, the gap to safety stands at just two points.
While some of the signs in the final third have been encouraging for Leicester – who have scored in nine of their last 10 top-flight fixtures and eight times in their last four – the Foxes remain without a Premier League clean sheet since the World Cup hiatus, conceding at least once 20 games running.
Taking points off of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton in their last two home fixtures may offer the dejected home crowd a sliver of hope as well – having previously witnessed five successive defeats before that – but with Newcastle United and a resurgent West Ham United to come in their final two games, the need for a third-straight home win over Liverpool is a desperate one.
Leicester City Premier League form:
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Liverpool Premier League form:
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Team News
One minor positive for Smith on Monday was that his side picked up no fresh injury concerns – Jonny Evans was also fit enough to make the bench – leaving the hosts with a quartet of absentees for the visit of Liverpool.
Ryan Bertrand (fitness), James Justin (calf) and Jannik Vestergaard (calf) will watch the final three games of the season from the sidelines, while striker Kelechi Iheanacho (groin) is ahead of schedule in his recuperation and should be back in training next week, but Monday’s game will come too soon for him.
On the back of their harrowing afternoon in the capital, Smith will no doubt consider alterations in the forms of Tete, Patson Daka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and the fit-again Ricardo Pereira, while Daniel Iversen – like most of those in blue – did not cover himself in glory against Fulham, but the Dane should keep Danny Ward at bay again.
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Pereira, Faes, Soyuncu, Castagne; Ndidi, Tielemans, Maddison; Tete, Barnes, Vardy
With plenty of attacking talent at their disposal, Leicester very rarely encounter any problems putting the ball in the back of the net, but ongoing deficiencies at the back will no doubt be exposed by a goal-happy Liverpool.
The King Power turf has not been kind to Klopp’s men in recent memory, but we can only envisage the Merseyside giants travelling home with a maximum and denting a leaky Leicester’s survival hopes further unless a different Leicester side takes to the pitch today.
