Premier League Preview: Leicester City

Blog written by ad_wilkin
Published: 15th May 2025 15:00

There might not be many neutrals tuning in for this one but if you thought there was nothing left to play for, you’d be wrong.

After last weekend's results Town only hold 18th place on goal difference. Not only is there the pride and mental boost of being the highest-finishing relegated side there is also a financial benefit to the tune of £2.8 million on last year's figures.

On top of that, there’s a leaving do to spoil. Jamie Vardy will end a 12-year career with the Foxes at the end of the season and this will be his last game at the King Power. He’s on 499 games and 199 goals for them and will no doubt be incredibly hungry to make that 200 before he bows out.

Leicester come into this one in relatively good form having beaten basement club Southampton and secured a point in a hard-fought local derby against Nottingham Forest.

<h1>Last Time Out (Ipswich 1 – 1 Leicester City) </h1>

This one was another of those what might have been games. Leicester had the first shot on target with Abul Fatawu testing Aro Muric with an effort from outside the area that the Ipswich keeper was more than a match for but the rest of the first half was very much all Town.

Conor Chaplin fired just wide after a nice one-two with Morsy, Sammie Szmodics headed over from close range after excellent pressing and a great delivery from Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap made one of his trademark mazy runs before losing control of the ball as he entered the penalty area, before Facundo Buonanotte forced Muric into another save following a jinking run of his own at the other end.

Another Delap run and lay-off then saw Szmodics force a corner which produced a routine clearly worked on in the training ground. Leif Davis chipped the ball in to Kalvin Phillips on the edge of the area but the on-loan Manchester City man saw his volley blocked. The ball fell to Dara O’Shea, who then also had a shot ricochet out of play off several bodies.

Delap was at it again with another lovely turn after receiving the ball to leave Wout Faes for dead as the Belgian tried to press him before laying the ball off to Chaplin. Chaplin found Hutchinson out wide, but he was unable to deliver a cross.

From the resultant corner O’Shea got free at the back post but could only steer his header into the ground and back up over the bar.

Chaplin then fired another couple wide before dinking a lovely, chipped ball in that Mads Hermansen had to be quick off his line to come and punch before Delap got there ahead of him.

Ben Johnson then struck one from 25 yards that Hermansen held as Town finished the first half well and truly on top.

Leicester came out with some renewed energy in the second half but were soon pegged back by a goal that Town thoroughly deserved.

Hutchinson found Morsy in a pocket of space just into the Leicester half. The skipper took one touch and then pinged an exquisite ball over all of the Leicester defenders to Davis, who timed his run to perfection to burst into the box and take the ball on his instep with a perfectly executed left-footed volley right into the corner of the net.

In reaction, Leicester launched another couple of attacks. Harry Winks hitting the target from range but not able to beat Muric before the major talking point of the match.

Delap won a free-kick on the edge of the area. Davis flighted a lovely delivery to the back post where O’Shea had got free once again. He headed across trying to find Hirst but Hermansen punched away only as far as Chaplin.

Chaplin took a touch to bring it down, push the ball onto his favoured left foot and as he was lining up a shot got absolutely steamrollered by Fatawu in what was a clear penalty. Leicester cleared but only as far as Davis who immediately passed it forward to Phillips. Phillips flicked it over an onrushing Leicester player but then his touch was too heavy and allowed Ricardo Pereira to boot the ball free. Both players followed through and Phillips caught the Leicester full-back heavily resulting in his second yellow of the game.

With the man advantage Leicester finally got into the game. Fatawu with a deep cross which Kristiansen was unable to connect with, Buonanotte with a blazed effort over the bar and Cameron Burgess pulled off a heroic block as Jordan Ayew had gone through on goal and dinked the ball over an onrushing Muric only to see it cannon off the Australian wall.

Winks tried another shot from range, Buonanotte tested Muric again and Fatawu had a shot blocked before the killer blow. Town looked to have got the ball clear as Morsy raced away on his own up the pitch but he was bundled off it by Boubacar Soumare. Soumare shrugged off the challenge of Burns before finding Jordan Ayew who played a snappy one-two with Jamie Vardy in the box as he continued his run before this time finally beating Muric with a side-footed effort.

<h1>Players to watch </h1>

<b>Jamie Vardy </b>

This game will be all about him. The 38-year-old still harbours ambitions to play at the highest level. He’s found the net nine times this season to show that he’s not lost his scoring knack and has added four assists to that as well. The fox-in-the-box has clearly not lost his scoring touch and has also won his club two penalties. Expect him to be on a Red Bull-fuelled rampage in his final send-off.

<b>Jeremy Monga </b>

The 15-year-old is at the other end of the spectrum to Vardy, becoming the second-youngest Premier League player ever as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 home defeat to Newcastle. He’s continued to make cameos in the next four games and almost scored the winner last time out in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest with Mats Sels clawing away his goalbound effort late in the game. Leicester fans have high hopes that he can be a Championship starter next season

<b>Bilal El Khannous </b>

El Khannous was struggling for game time under previous manager Steve Cooper but has become an ever-present since Ruud van Nistelrooy took over and has now started 26 games. His goals and assist numbers aren’t especially impressive with just five goal contributions but he is Leicester’s most creative player. He’s made 31 key passes, the most in the team. Twenty-seven of those have been passes into the penalty area which is also a team high.

His dribbling metrics are also impressive, coming second for progressive carries and carries into the final third and only behind Stephy Mavididi in both metrics. At just 21 years of age, he is seen by a number of fans as one of the most likely players to move on for a fee in the summer.

<h1>The Teams </h1>

Davis is back from suspension so it will be interesting to see what the backline looks like for this one. Burgess hasn’t put a foot wrong when he’s been in the starting line-up but Jacob Greaves has also been playing his best football out at left-back. You’d assume Davis will almost certainly come back in and I think it could be Burgess who makes way.

With fitness issues for Phillips and Jens Cajuste, the Morsy and Jack Taylor pairing is likely to continue until the end of the season right now, whilst at the top of the pitch this could be an opportunity to give the attacking trio of Hutchinson, Julio Enciso and Jack Clarke a start.

Up front Delap is likely to start despite a whole host of transfer rumours linking him to various clubs.

Leicester have remained unchanged for the last two matches, which is unsurprising given their results and are likely to avoid making changes for the third game in a row in this one.

Mavididi and Fatawu, both familiar faces for Town, are out injured, as is Danish keeper Hermansen. Winks has been dropped from the squad since March following a falling out with Van Nistelrooy over the distance of his commute to training.

<h1>Prediction </h1>

With a decision still not made on the future of Van Nistelrooy and a section of fans unhappy with the ownership of the club, an early goal for Ipswich could kill the Vardy party as quickly as inviting the father of the bride to your stag do.

Town’s injury issues look to be easing whereas the Foxes are missing key players. One Brighton loanee sparked scenes of joy last time at the King Power, can another one do it this time? I’m going for a 1-0 victory.

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