Leicester City vs Everton
Date: 06/10/2018
Time: 15:00 hours
Venue: King Power Stadium
Referee: Andre Marriner
Leicester host Everton this weekend as the two sides will be looking to keep up with the top six teams in their aim to finish around 7th and strive for a European place. Claude Puel’s side could make it three wins in a row whilst Everton will be hoping to get their first back to back wins of the season.
Leicester have looked impressive in recent weeks beating Huddersfield and Newcastle comfortably. The team’s good form sees them within reach of the top sides and a victory over the Toffees this weekend would boost their confidence moving towards the winter fixture list.
James Maddison and Jamie Vardy are the players to look out for in the Foxes offence. Puel has praised Maddison’s ’creativity’ in recent weeks since he joined from Norwich in the summer and the youngsters good form earned him an England senior call up during the week. Maddison has scored three times at Premier League level and the transition from the Championship does not seem to have phased the youngster at all. Vardy has also scored three goals despite serving a suspension for a straight red at the start of the season. If Everton are to pick up points away from home, they will have to ensure that these two key players are kept quiet in front of a noisy home crowd.
Foxes fans will be happy with their side’s start to the season as Puel has his team playing exciting football and football worthy of wins. His signings are paying off and he has kept hold of key defender, Harry Maguire who scored last weekend at St James’ Park. A win over Everton would keep Leicester’s spirits high going into the international break.
Marco Silva’s men, however, will be looking to spoil the Foxes superb form and create a run of form of their own. Everton’s impressive 3-0 win over Fulham was their first since they beat Southampton in the second game week of the season. The much-needed win was not only important because it ended a run of poor form but the Blues also kept their first clean sheet of the season.
If Everton are to beat Leicester they will need to press them and be strong in possession. The player Silva will be hoping shows up is Gylfi Sigurdsson after the playmaker’s game-changing performance last week. After missing a penalty he scored two superb goals that showed how valuable he is to this Everton side.
This fixture could be a standout game for the weekend with both sides impressing in their respective fixtures last weekend and both sides looking extremely capable offensively. Out of the 24 meetings between the sides, there have been 13 draws, with the Foxes winning four times and Everton emerging victorious on seven occasions.
Team News
Leicester are without Matty James and Demarai Gray this weekend. However, with the teams performances being strong over the last couple of weeks, Claude Puel will unlikely change his team’s lineup.
Everton are still without James McCarthy due to a broken leg. Andre Gomes is still yet to make his debut and is still carrying a hamstring injury. Silva’s only change may be a reintroduction of Cenk Tosun to the starting lineup after he scored coming off the bench last weekend. This would see Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the bench for this weekends fixture.
Predicted Starting XI’s:
Leicester: Schmeichel; Amartey, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell; Mendy, Ndidi; Pereira, Iheanacho, Maddison; Vardy.
Everton: Pickford; Kenny, Keane, Zouma, Digne; Davies, Gueye; Walcott, Richarlison, Sigurdsson; Tosun.
Score Prediction: Leicester 2-1 Everton
Both sides are hard to split in this fixture but Leicester’s form and home crowd may give them enough to beat Everton. As mentioned, Vardy and Maddison will be key and if the Foxes can remain compact at the back, they could have enough to win this meeting between two in-form sides.
