Leicester City vs Sheffield United
Date: 14/03/2021
K/O: 14:00
Venue: King Power Stadium
Referee: Peter Bankes
TV: Sky Sports
Leicester City host an in-limbo Sheffield United side on Sunday afternoon, with the Foxes looking to take another three points from a Blades side who will be without Chris Wilder.
While Leicester’s first full week of rest in over three months allows them a chance to rest and recover for whatever they may come up against at the weekend, the Blades are left in a compromised position after Chris Wilder left the club by mutual consent. The news might boost the Blades and give them an impetus to perform at last year’s level once again – or it could weaken them and end up present Leicester with three points they will happily snatch away.
Second half redemption gives Leicester rejuvenation.
Leicester started last week’s game against Brighton in dire straits. A poor first half led to them conceding, and they went into halftime with lots of work to do and no evidence they would do it. If there was ever a moment where Brendan Rodgers needed to step up, it was now, and step up he did.
Although half-time team talks will forever remain a mystery to us, this is one of those that you would want to listen to. In the second half, we saw Leicester stage an applaudable comeback. Youri Tieleman’s no-look assist to Kelechi Iheanacho was the piece of magic to get them back into it. Daniel Amartey’s header from a corner – their first goal from a corner all season(!) – was what won it.
The win meant Leicester have gone into this direly-needed break with their spirits lifted. Although they are still without several crucial players, this break has given them a tiny bit of relief. Brendan Rodgers has been especially vocal about Jamie Vardy, saying that the striker has “had a really good week. We’ve been able to take some loading out of his legs…and he looks great.” This will be welcome news for Foxes fans, as Vardy has been lacklustre lately. This rest could bring him back to the electric Vardy we love to see.
Leicester would only need five wins and a draw to secure Champions League football for next year going into the last ten games. A win against Sheffield United here would reduce that to only four wins – bringing them even closer. Having avoided a similar collapse to the one they suffered last year, Leicester will now be sniffing around the premier European competitions knowing that it is almost within their grasp.
Team News
Leicester
The week of rest yielded more than just recovery for Leicester, with three pieces of good injury news. In his pre-match press conference, Brendan Rodgers announced that all of Johnny Evans, Ayoze Perez, and Dennis Praet would be available on Saturday. Praet’s return is especially exciting, as he has missed over three months of action after tearing his hamstring. This does not mean the Foxes’ injury list is extinguished. James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Cengiz Under, Wes Morgan and James Justin all remain out.
Sheffield United
Without a pre-match press conference, we have no new injury news concerning the Blades. Chris Basham could possibly return, and Lys Mousset’s return last week should see him available again. We should expect for Jack Robinson, Jack O’Connell, Sander Berge, and John Egan to stay on the side-lines and miss the game on Sunday.
Predicted Starting XIs
Leicester City (3-4-1-2): Schmeichel; Fofana, Evans, Soyuncu; Ricardo, Tielemans, Ndidi, Castagne; Ayoze Perez; Iheanacho, Vardy
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Baldock, Ampadu, Bryan; Bogle, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McBurnie, McGoldrick
Predicted Score: Leicester 3-0 Sheffield United
With Leicester finally having a week of rest and Sheffield United in turmoil with Wilder out of the job, I cannot see the game going any other way than for the Foxes. Leicester like to blow away their opponent in the first half, then control it in the second, so expect them to score all three goals before halftime, then control the game and bring on injury returnees and youth in the second.
