Leicester vs West Ham Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be in the Leicester City dugout for the first time after his appointment late last week with the Foxes welcoming a wildly inconsistent West Ham United side with manager Julen Lopetegui still under immense pressure.
Kick-off date/time: Tuesday 3rd December, 2024: UK – 8:15pm / US ET – 3:15pm / US PT – 12:15pm
How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / US – Not televised
How to watch online: UK – Amazon Prime / US – Peacock
Leicester Preview: Fox in the box
Ruud van Nistelrooy was in interim charge of Manchester United for four games last month with the former Red Devils striker producing three wins in that stint and two of them victories coming against Leicester City. Leicester supporters were unhappy throughout the short Steve Cooper reign, despite the Foxes, with a limited squad, sitting outside of the bottom three.
With Ben Dawson in interim charge at the weekend, Leicester went to the Gtech Community Stadium and were hammered by Brentford by four goals to one with Kevin Schade scoring a maiden Premier League hat-trick. The hosts are now winless in six games since their dramatic comeback at St Mary’s to defeat Southampton in mid-October.
West Ham Preview: A mixed bag
Over the November international break it was reported that former Sevilla and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui was given two games to save his job. West Ham United produced a comfortable and impressive 2-0 victory at Newcastle United before their bizarre encounter with Arsenal at the London Stadium at the weekend.
West Ham were 4-0 down in around 35 minutes before making it 4-2 with quick-fire goals but eventually falling to 5-2 down by half-time – only the fourth time in Premier League history where seven goals had come in the first 45 minutes. It stayed that way but Arsenal missed several chances to properly humiliate their capital city rivals.
Leicester Team News: Ruud’s first pick
Ruud van Nistelrooy deployed a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 whilst in charge of United last month and those were the systems he tended to use whilst in charge of PSV Eindhoven, too.
Caleb Okoli went off injured at the weekend after a collision with Mads Hermansen and there are a couple of other issues, too, such as injuries for both Harry Winks and Abdul Fatawu.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Soumare, Skipp, Ndidi; Buonanotte, Edouard, Mavididi
Unavailable: Stolarczyk (Injured), Pereira (Injured), Winks (Injured), Fatawu (Injured)
Questionable: Okoli (Injured)
West Ham Team News: Some structure required
West Ham have been cut apart far too easily far too often this season so there may be a temptation for Julen Lopetegui to select a more controlled and organised line-up here.
The Spaniard remains without Ghana international Mohammed Kudus due to suspension, whilst Niclas Fullkrug continues to edge his way close to a return to full fitness.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville; Antonio
Unavailable: Kudus (Suspended)
Questionable: Fullkrug (Injured)
Leicester vs West Ham Prediction
There will, or at least should, be quite a raucous atmosphere under the lights at the King Power Stadium with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester likely to take the game to West Ham. Issues with Cooper within the fanbase arose from an overly conservative style of football so there will want to be a change to that. That should allow West Ham to get their key counter-attackers, such as Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen, into the game themselves. As a result, it could end up being quite entertaining for the neutral.
Leicester vs West Ham Tip: Both teams to score
