After engineering a last-gasp 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, Leicester City will make a trip to the Hawthorns on Saturday to face West Bromwich Albion in their next Premier League fixture. The Foxes are currently placed at the 8th spot in the league table with 37 points to their name from 29 games and would be looking forward to finishing higher in the standings.
Team News
Shinji Okazaki is doubtful to start the upcoming fixture as he is nursing a knee problem but might make it to the bench. Besides, Daniel Amartey is sidelined after being forced off in the clash against Bournemouth.
Here is how we expect Claude Puel to station his starting XI against Alan Pardew’s men.
Goalkeeper
Kasper Schmeichel should find himself being placed between the sticks yet again in the league fixture. The 31-year-old custodian has notched up 7 clean sheets from 29 league appearances, making 2.72 saves per game on an average. He will be aiming to muster another clean sheet against a side which has been really timorous throughout the season.
Defence
From the left-back, we expect Christian Fuchs to start. He has struck a fine balance in his attacking and defensive endeavours this season and would be a handy asset for Puel’s side. As Amartey is sidelined, Danny Simpson might get the green signal to start and his experience will surely come in handy.
Wes Morgan and Harry Maguire are expected to be rolled out by Puel to cater to the central defensive duties. These two centre-backs have formed an excellent partnership and their understanding has gotten better with every passing gameweek.
Midfield
Wilfred Ndidi’s hard-working attitude is exemplary and we anticipate that he would start in central midfield alongside Adrien Silva. They would be primarily tasked with the duties of shielding the backline and dictating the tempo of the game in favour of their side.
Demarai Gray might start from the right side of the midfield and his pace and galloping runs should help Leicester City in their attacking endeavours. From the other side, Marc Albrighton is likely to find himself in the starting line-up and his industry and crossing ability might come in handy.
Attack
Riyad Mahrez scored in the dying minutes of the game against the Cherries and he would be one of the first names to be chalked in Leicester City’s starting line-up. The Algerian international should play behind Jamie Vardy, with Vardy expected to start as the striker against the Throstles.
