As the Premier League resumes, Leicester City will try to build on some momentum to gain confidence to move on to the next season. Following a poor run of games, Leicester hierarchy decided to cut ties with Claudio Ranieri, under whose guidance they claimed the Premier League title last season. Assistant manager Craig Shakespeare since then took over and has changed the look of the side completely with the Foxes yet to taste defeat in four matches so far.
Shakespeare has so far done nothing wrong with the side. He just sticks to his basics and fields the best team possible. They defeated Liverpool, pumped in three against Hull City and edged West Ham United in a thriller in the last three matches in the Premier League to boost their chances to finish in the upper half of the table. They will try to take inspiration from these matches and inject some belief for the run in.
Predicted 4-4-2 Leicester City Lineup Against Stoke City
Defence
Kasper Schmeichel has stood tall in the Leicester City goal since his return from injury and his impact cannot be denied. He is set to be reinstated in his position.
Christian Fuchs and Danny Simpson have been regular starters and will continue to do so. In the heart of the defence, it will be Wes Morgan and Robert Huth once again to thwart the attacks of Stoke City.
Midfield
Danny Drinkwater and Onyinye Ndidi will have the responsibility to keep the midfield running. In the last season, it was Drinkwater who used to send the defence-splitting passes through to Jamie Vardy to exploit the space in the opponent attacking third. Ndidi has to be very careful as Stoke have the knack of hitting on the counter.
Attack
Marc Albrighton so far has had a decent season and will have a vital role to play. Riyad Mahrez has scored a goal each in the last two matches and with his twists and turns, gave a tough time to the opposition defenders. He could be a real threat from the right side and Shakespear will unleash his best player against the unpredictable Potters.
In the last three matches, Jamie Vardy has three goals and two assists in his tally. He also registered his name on the scoresheet while playing for England and his return to form will be a relief for the gaffer.
Okazaki hasn’t contributed so far to justify his talent and would be very eager to prove his mettle in one of the toughest games of this season.
