Leicester City will welcome Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth to the King Power Stadium this afternoon.
The Foxes sit 17th in the league standings, level on points and goal difference with 18th-place Crystal Palace. Leicester are above the Eagles only because they scored more goals, leaving the Foxes precariously close to the relegation zone.
The visitors have had a reasonably good start to the season and are 11th in the standings. Bournemouth have looked impressive so far and will be challenging for a top-half finish this season.
Steve Cooper is desperate for his first league victory with Leicester and will hope that the home advantage can be a deciding factor in what is certain to be a closely contested game.
Leicester City vs Bournemouth – Match Details
Date: October 5, 2024
Time: 15:00 BST
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester City vs Bournemouth – Team News
Cooper confirmed that Jannik Vestergaard has recovered from his ankle injury and is available against Bournemouth. However, Hamza Choudhury will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder during a recent training session. The manager also stated that a few players were doubtful to face the Cherries but did not reveal their names. Patson Daka and Jakub Stolarczyk remain out.
Bournemouth have a nearly fully fit squad, with Tyler Adams the only player out injured currently.
Leicester City vs Bournemouth – Match Preview
Both teams line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, there is a big difference in the player roles, especially the fullbacks and wingers. Bournemouth’s wide men usually keep their width and stay in their respective flanks. On the other hand, Leicester have a fullback and a winger (on the opposite flank) invert inside during build-up play. This creates a 3-2-4-1 formation in possession for the Foxes.
The Cherries had plenty of success against Southampton last weekend with their aggressive pressing strategy. They will likely do the same against Leicester and aim to win possession high up the pitch. Leicester have press-resistant players like Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp and may be able to exploit the space due to Bournemouth’s high press. However, the defenders have been naive with their positioning at times and must be highly cautious of not leaving too much space in the defensive third. A turnover in those situations would be deadly for Leicester.
Leicester recorded a memorable victory at Bournemouth last season in the FA Cup. Abdul Fatawu scored a late stunner to send the Foxes through to the next round. While the result will give Leicester confidence going into this game, the Cherries have had a better record in the Premier League, having won the last three meetings against the Foxes.
Cooper desperately needs this victory and will hope that the closely contested match ends in Leicester’s favour.
Leicester City vs Bournemouth – Predicted Starting Lineup
Cooper is likely to keep a similar lineup that he deployed against Arsenal. Bilal El Khannouss may come in to give Leicester an attacking edge.
Leicester City Predicted Lineup vs Bournemouth: Mads Hermansen; James Justin, Caleb Okoli, Wout Faes, Victor Kristiansen; Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi; Bilal El Khannouss; Facundo Buonanotte, Jamie Vardy, Stephy Mavididi.