Tottenham Hotspur face Leicester City on Saturday after a disappointing draw in the Champions League against Olympiacos on Tuesday night. Spurs are currently third on the Premier League table, with two wins and two draws, and one loss in the opening five games.
The last time these two sides faced off at the King Power Stadium, Spurs won the game 2-0 with goals from Son Heung-min and Dele Alli. Spurs will have a tough test when they travel to Leicester as the Foxes are much stronger than last year and are currently on the same number of points as Spurs.
Let’s take a look at 3 things Tottenham Hotspur will need to be wary of
Creative midfielders
Leicester City will be a threat to Spurs in the middle of the park as they have the right balance in central midfield. The hard-working, tackling machine Wilfred Ndidi, the vision and forward-thinking of James Maddison, and the passing ability of Youri Tielemans make this Leicester side tick.
The trio, along with Hamza Choudhury, could pose some questions to the Spurs midfield, who, at times, were outnumbered and outplayed by Olympiacos mid-week.
This game will also be a big test for Tanguy Ndombele, who returned to the team in the game against Olympiacos after suffering an injury a few weeks ago. There’s a big possibility that Spurs may get bullied off the ball and the likes of Maddison and Tielemans could set up attackers like Jamie Vardy upfront.
Aerial battle
Leicester City are very strong in the air, thanks to the aerial presence of central defenders Çaglar Söyüncü and Jonny Evans, who could be a threat from set-pieces. Söyüncü has won an average of 4.6 aerial balls per game this season, while Evans has averaged 3.8 aerial balls won per game.
Tottenham should refrain from hitting balls long into Harry Kane and co. and instead look to move the ball cleverly and play balls in behind the defence along the grass.
Jamie Vardy’s pace
Jamie Vardy is Leicester City’s top goalscorer this season with three goals and he is a player that could seriously disrupt the Tottenham backline. The English striker had an off day against Manchester United last weekend, but a player of his calibre has to be closely watched and not given much room to run.
United played deep in their own halves to not allow Vardy space to run in behind them. Spurs may not adopt that tactic as Mauricio Pochettino likes to play high up the pitch, which could prove costly for them if they don’t keep Vardy in check.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
