Despite a 3-0 loss to Manchester United, Leicester City is expected to make only minor changes when they host the Premier League leaders.
Brendan Rodgers’ one major decision for his Leicester City starting lineup is once again at the base of the midfield.
Despite a 3-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend, only minor changes are expected for the match against table-toppers Arsenal. Even an unchanged 11 could be chosen.
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Rodgers named the same lineup at Old Trafford as he had for the home win over Spurs, and after being impressed with how they performed in that 4-1 victory, that lineup could be used again at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. That means Papy Mendy will keep his place ahead of his midfield rivals.
Youri Tielemans returned to action against Manchester United, but he was only on the bench. He will be Mendy’s main rival for the role, but he may be used as a substitute again.
Boubakary Soumare and Wilfred Ndidi are also injury-free, and both are options for Rodgers. However, the pair will require game time to get back up to speed, which will most likely come in the form of substitute appearances or starts in next week’s FA Cup tie against Blackburn.
The only other problem for City is if James Maddison is unable to play. He will have a late evaluation for his knee injury, but he is expected to be able to play. If he cannot, Tielemans will most likely fill one of the two midfield number eight positions, with Kieran Dewsbury-Hall filling the other.
Otherwise, there is little reason to make changes. Because Jonny Evans is out, the centre-back pairing of Harry Souttar and Wout Faes is likely to continue. Ricardo Pereira will compete with Timothy Castagne for the right back position, but Rodgers is more likely to stick with his current back four.
Kelechi Iheanacho is set to start again in attack, keeping Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka out, with Tete and Harvey Barnes the obvious options either side of him. The trio will look to score in order for City to win back-to-back home league games for the first time this season.
Predicted City line-up (4-3-3): Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison; Tete, Iheanacho, Barnes. Subs from: Iversen, Smithies, Ricardo, Thomas, Bertrand, Amartey, Soyuncu, Vestergaard, Brunt, Soumare, Ndidi, Tielemans, Praet, Marcal-Madivadua, Vardy, Daka.
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