Last time out, a dismal afternoon in the capital completely undid Leicester City’s recent improvements. A dismal first half saw QPR find the net on four occasions, before coasting through the second half and clinching all three points. Not to mention the fact that just a couple of days prior, a disaster happened off the pitch. As revealed by John Percy, the club wasn’t able to pay non-playing staff on the scheduled date of December 19 and had to wait until after Christmas. Therefore, with the Foxes’ future once again not looking bright, here is the Leicester predicted lineup as they host Watford on Boxing Day.
Leicester Predicted Lineup vs Watford for Championship Tie
How Leicester City Have Lined Up Recently
Against QPR, Cifuentes once again made no changes. Jakub Stolarczyk remained in between the sticks, but couldn’t do enough to prevent the first-half onslaught. In addition to this, Jannik Vestergaard and Ben Nelson also starred as Caleb Okoli is still not ready to return. At full-back, Luke Thomas and Ricardo Pereira were also present, with academy graduates Hamza Choudhury and Bade Aluko on the bench.
Read More: Former Leicester Player Praises Duo, Says One ‘Fits the Bill for Most Premier League Clubs’
Meanwhile, in midfield, once again, no alterations came. In the double pivot, box-to-box midfielder Jordan James was joined by Oliver Skipp. Just in front of them was Decordova Reid, who missed a penalty, which ultimately ended his streak of three goals in consecutive games. Out wide, both Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu started, but with Jeremy Monga returning and Silko Thomas scoring, competition for places is more than evident.
To cap off the eleven, Jordan Ayew led the line, which comes as little surprise given Patson Daka is now away for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Leicester City’s Recent Form And Tactics
Coming into the clash at Loftus Road, City were much improved. The adjustments tactically seemed to be paying off and making Marti Cifuentes’ side more attacking, but also stable defensively. In the unbeaten run, Leicester saw off Derby, Bristol City and Ipswich. Along the way, scoring a total of eight goals, whilst only conceding four. They even climbed up to eight in the league, which epitomised the success.
Read More: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Confirmed Lineups for December 23
The disastrous afternoon began almost immediately as the ball bounced off the head of Koki Saito and past Stolarczyk. 20 minutes later, and target in the summer, Richard Kone doubled the Hoops’ lead with a powerful left-footed effort. Before the end of an excellent first half for the home side, Karamoko Dembélé and Amadou Mbengue both found the net to make it four.
A horrendous half, but even outside of the poor defending, Leicester carried no threat; just one shot in the entire forty-five minutes, which wasn’t even on target. Outside of this, they only managed five touches in the opposition box, a total tripled by Julien Stephan’s side.
Read More: Leicester Owner Khun Top Eyes ‘Major Reshuffle’ Following Years of Decline
With the game out of reach, it’s no surprise that the second half wasn’t as one-sided. The visitors had eight shots and two big chances, which is expected given how far ahead QPR were. A late consolation goal from the aforementioned Thomas is a positive for the young winger, but no other players outside of that can hold their heads high.
The left flank, which has been a constant issue this season, was once again exposed, with three of the four chances coming from there. Luke Thomas struggled as he had a few months earlier against Millwall, and it cost Leicester once again. Dembélé was finding so much joy, and the stats show this with him completing nine passes in the opposition half, and his side’s highest concentration of play on his flank.
The defeat saw Leicester drop down to 13th, with their goal difference reduced to 0. Whilst they remain four points off the elusive play-off positions, questions about whether they can become consistent this season have to be asked. Every time the future looks more positive, issues arise, whether it be on the pitch or off it. With a looming sanction over their PSR challenges, it becomes harder and harder to look positively at the club’s future.
Leicester City Team News
As confirmed by the Spaniard, some absences are to be expected for the clash against Watford. Patson Daka is away for the Africa Cup of Nations and scored a late equaliser for Zambia against Mali. Meanwhile, Jannik Vestergaard took a knock to the head at the weekend and hasn’t trained since. However, there are also some positives.
Read More: Aston Villa vs Manchester United Confirmed Lineups for December 21
For example, Okoli is available after over a month out of action. Moreover, Aaron Ramsey and Monga were back on the bench against QPR, which also bodes well heading into the Boxing Day tie.
Leicester Predicted Lineup vs Watford
GK: Jakub Stolarczyk
RB: Ricardo Pereira
RCB: Caleb Okoli
LCB: Ben Nelson
LB: Luke Thomas
DM: Oliver Skipp
DM: Jordan James
RW: Abdul Fatawu
AM: Aaron Ramsey
LW: Stephy Mavididi
ST: Jordan Ayew
Featured Image Credits
IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
