As Leicester City prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur in their opening fixture of the upcoming Premier League season, Steve Cooper’s team’s selection will be at the forefront. Cooper is an adventurous manager with a pragmatic approach as seen by his tenure at Nottingham Forest, where he utilised a low-block and rapid-counter attacks to keep the club up. As for the Monday night clash at the King Power, he is expected to line up with a 4-2-3-1 formation whilst becoming a 3-2-4-1 when attacking. With some key players unavailable and new figures eager to make an impact, this could be a tough fixture for Leicester.
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Steve Cooper’s 4-2-3-1 formation
Mads Hermansen will start in goal, providing a safe presence between the sticks with his shot-stopping and distribution. The backline is expected to feature Victor Kristiansen at left-back, offering width and attacking support as he operates further up the pitch to create an overload on the left. A centre-back partnership of Wout Faes and new-signing Caleb Okoli seems likely as the duo started in the most recent pre-season friendly against Lens. James Justin would be the likely choice to start at right-back as he can tuck into a back three better than Ricardo Periera, which allows Victor Kristiansen to push forward and attack down the wing as he did in pre-season.
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In midfield, Wilfred Ndidi will anchor the side, using his prior experience in the top division to break up play and progress the ball. He’ll be partnered by Harry Winks, who will act as a deep-lying playmaker and allow Leicester to retain the ball, where they can. Loanee Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton will operate in the central attacking midfield role, where his creativity will be pivotal in unlocking the Spurs backline. On the wings, Abdul Fatawu on the right will look to cut inside and create opportunities, while De-Cordova Reid will come inside and act as an attacking midfielder as Kristansen overlaps and creates from the wing.
Leading the line, Stephy Mavididi is set to lead the line, offering pace and threat throughout. With Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka injured, Mavividi will be opted to fill the role of converting chances over out-and-out striker Tom Cannon. This lineup highlights the need for reinforcements to the Foxes’ side and how tough it will be to win points against quality sides like Tottenham Hotspur, but with pace on the counterattack, Cooper’s side could offer problems to Spurs, as they look to create an competitive encounter for Postecoglu’s side.