Brendan Rodgers’ high-flying Leicester City side will be looking to make it three league wins on the trot when they are visited at the King Power Stadium by Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton team. The Foxes are coming into this tie on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal but will have the fixture against the Saints to look to as inspiration.
Southampton suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in Premier League history earlier in the campaign when they were destroyed 9-0 by Brendan Rodgers’ rampant Leicester City side. Jamie Vardy looked to be in the form of his life as the Foxes continued to pile on the pressure even after it was clear that the Saints had given up. Hasenhuttl’s men will be now be looking to exact revenge on Leicester City when they travel to the Midlands for a mouth-watering clash.
Team News
Wes Morgan and Wilfried Ndidi are both set to continue their spells on the sidelines at least until the end of January. While the centre-half’s return is important, it’s the return of Ndidi that the fans will be awaiting the most. James Maddison is also being touted to be a doubt for this encounter after he suffered a knock on his head in the cup. Daniel Amartey and Matthew James are a couple of other names that are ruled out of contention for this fixture as well.
3-5-2 Leicester City Predicted Lineup Vs Southampton
Formation: 3-5-2
Defence
Kasper Schmeichel’s place between the sticks has never really come into question at the King Power, and his performances have certainly warranted the plaudits he’s been receiving as well. Expect Brendan Rodgers to continue utilising a three-man defence for this encounter, with Jonny Evans operating as the central man. He will be supported on either side by Turkish star Caglar Soyunçu and stand-in centre-half Christian Fuchs. The trio has played the last few matches together, and that pattern is expected to continue into this week as well.
Midfield
Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell will hence be tasked with wing-back roles – allowing the duo even more space to run into. Their defensive duties are sure to be reduced as well, meaning that they will be allowed to focus exclusively on attacking for most of the tie. James Maddison should recover from his head problem and return to the side and is expected to be partnered by Youri Tielemans and Hamza Choudhury at the heart of midfield.
Attack
Jamie Vardy is set to start this fixture against the Saints as one of the strikers, while his partner from the last outing – Ayoze Perez, could have to do with a place on the bench. The youngster is expected to be replaced by former Manchester City star Kelechi Iheanacho, who has done well whenever the opportunities have presented themselves.
