Leicester City will be looking to avoid a record eighth consecutive home defeat in the Premier League when they host top-four hopefuls Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium on Monday.
The home team are 19th on the points table with just 17 points in their 30 outings. They are 15 points behind 17th-placed Wolves, which suggests their return to the Championship is almost a certainty.
Leicester City have lost each of their last seven league games and failed to score in any of them. Their last outing was a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Given their form, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team will struggle to get anything out of this fixture.
Meanwhile, the visitors have been flying high since winning the EFL Cup; now, they are eyeing a top-four finish, and it is very much within reach. Newcastle are seventh on the table with 50 points in their 29 outings. They are just three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and have two games in hand on them.
The Tyneside club are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Brentford, and they will be confident of getting a positive result here. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Leicester City will remain without the services of Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, who is out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. Harry Winks was not a part of their last outing following a rift with the manager, and it will be interesting to see if he is involved in this fixture.
The Foxes will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Mads Hermansen will be in goal. Luke Thomas, Wout Faes and Caleb Okoli will be the three central defenders. James Justin and Victor Kristiansen will feature as the wing-backs, providing support on both ends of the pitch.
In the centre of the park, Wilfred Ndidi will pair up with Boubakary Soumare. The duo will shield the backline and ensure the Newcastle United midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Bilal El Khannouss and Jordan Ayew should be the two attacking midfielders behind veteran striker Jamie Vardy.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hermansen; Thomas, Faes, Okoli; Justin, Ndidi, Soumare, Kristiansen; El Khannouss, Ayew; Vardy
The Magpies could be without several key players for this clash, with Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon, Joelinton, Alexander Isak, and Matt Targett all doubtful, while Sven Botman, Lewis Hall, and Jamaal Lascelles are confirmed absentees.
Eddie Howe’s team will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Nick Pope should take charge in goal. Emil Krafth and Valentino Livramento could be the two full-backs, while Fabian Schar will partner with Dan Burn in central defence.
Sandro Tonali will take up the role of a defensive midfielder, while Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock will be in his support. The trio will look to control the tempo of the game. Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes could feature on the flanks, providing width to their attacks. If Isak is not fully fit, Callum Wilson could end up leading the line for Newcastle United against Leicester City.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Wilson, Barnes
If both Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon miss out, all eyes will be on the former Leicester City star to lead the charge for the Magpies. With eight goal contributions in under 1,000 Premier League minutes this season, the 27-year-old winger will be eager to seize the opportunity and make a decisive impact.
The Foxes have lost each of their last eight games across competitions, and they have not scored in their last seven Premier League defeats, which suggests they are not in the best of forms and might end up struggling against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United, who recently won the EFL Cup and are now pushing for a top-four finish. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.
