Leicester City will aim to get back to winning ways this weekend in an FA Cup clash against Championship side Queens Park Rangers at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes have lost five consecutive Premier League matches and currently sit 19th in the standings. While a victory against QPR will not help their league standings directly, the morale boost it could give will play a part when they face Crystal Palace a week later. With the busy festive season over, Ruud Van Nistelrooy is expected to provide some of his first team members a rest and rotate the squad heavily.
Here’s the predicted Leicester City lineup to face Queens Park Rangers on January 11.
Goalkeeper
Danny Ward
Ward was heavily criticised for his recent performances and may be given an opportunity to win back some fans. The Welshman has been solid, at least in the cup games this season.
Defenders
Hamza Choudhury, Caleb Okoli, Wout Faes, Luke Thomas
A fully rotated backline can be expected, with Van Nistelrooy testing whether Choudhury is ready to start as a right-back in the Premier League. James Justin has been disappointing this season, and a strong performance by the soon-to-be Bangladesh international could see him start against Crystal Palace in the league.
Midfielders
Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Will Alves
Alves came on as a late substitute against Manchester City and could make his first start for Leicester in a senior competition. The youngster is a big talent and may be loaned out soon to get some first-team experience. With Wilfred Ndidi out injured, one of Winks or Boubakary Soumare will have to partner Skipp in the midfield pivot. With the Foxes expected to dominate proceedings, Winks superior passing capabilities will be favoured.
Forwards
Facundo Buonanotte, Patson Daka, Bobby Decordova-Reid
Van Nistelrooy has preferred Jordan Ayew over Buonanotte in recent weeks, citing the former’s experience as the deciding factor. The young Argentine has been superb for Leicester this season and will aim for a good performance to convince the manager to start him. Another player who wants to prove himself to Van Nistelrooy is Daka, who is already liked the Dutchman but needs to show that he is a Premier League level striker.
Leicester City predicted lineup vs Queens Park Rangers:
Danny Ward, Hamza Choudhury, Caleb Okoli, Wout Faes, Luke Thomas; Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Will Alves; Facundo Buonanotte, Patson Daka, Bobby Decordova-Reid
