Leicester City will welcome Everton to the King Power Stadium on September 21. Both teams squandered two-goal leads in their previous Premier League fixture. Crystal Palace snatched a late equalizer against the Foxes at Selhurst Park, while Everton lost to Aston Villa 3-2.
Leicester currently sits 15th in the Premier League standings, with their opponents languishing at the bottom. With both teams seeking their first league win of the season, it will be a fascinating and hard-fought match.
With disappointing performances for the Foxes, Steve Cooper must change things up if he wants his team to walk away with a win. Facing the bottom-placed team is the perfect opportunity for the Foxes to record their first victory of the season. Everton are Leicester’s relegation rival, so three points against them is huge.
Two seasons ago, they were involved in a tight relegation battle, with Leicester’s failure to defeat the Toffees late in the season dooming them to relegation. The Foxes must ensure the same does not happen this year. To do so, it’s time for Cooper to integrate Ricardo Pereira into the starting lineup going forward.
Ricardo Pereira must start against Everton
One of the star players from Leicester’s EFL Championship-winning team from last season, Pereira has found himself on the bench under Cooper. So far, the Foxes have lined up with James Justin and Victor Kristiansen as their starting fullbacks. In possession, Kristiansen pushes up while Justin tucks in as an inverted fullback, forming a three-man defence alongside the two centre-backs.
However, the Dane has not been successful with his attacking runs so far. Cooper should turn to Pereira, with Justin slotting as an inverted left back. These two enjoyed a good partnership last season, allowing for more tactical fluidity. With Justin tucking inside, Pereira can push up, either inverting into the midfield or making overlapping runs to support Abdul Fatawu on the wing.
With Leicester expected to dominate proceedings against Everton, Pereira also offers creativity and that little bit of magic. The Portuguese has always been one of Leicester’s most technically gifted players and can prove to be a game-changer.
