FLW takes a look at the side that Enzo Maresca may choose for his side’s first away trip of the league season
HIGHLIGHTS
- New Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has made a strong start with a win against Coventry City and progressing in the Carabao Cup.
- Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen has a good chance of starting against Huddersfield due to a minor injury to Mads Hermansen.
- Several key players, including Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi, are likely to feature in Maresca’s lineup for the upcoming match.
Leicester City stand every chance of taking six points from their opening two Championship showdowns ahead of Saturday’s trip to Huddersfield Town.
New boss Enzo Maresca has embarked upon an ideal start to life at the King Power Stadium by overseeing Sunday’s 2-1 victory against Coventry City in the M69 Derby, while the Foxes also advanced to the next round of the Carabao Cup following a comprehensive win at East Midlands neighbours Burton Albion this week, too.
He will have naturally learned a lot from those initial fixtures, with such thoughts no doubt impacting his thinking as final preparations head underway for this weekend’s clash in West Yorkshire.
With that in mind, we have decided to predict how Maresca may arrange his side against the Terriers.
How could Leicester City line up against Huddersfield Town?
GK: Daniel Iversen
Summer signing Mads Hermansen was absent from Wednesday’s advancement at the Pirelli Stadium with a minor quad injury, and it remains unknown whether he will slot back in between the sticks against Huddersfield.
Therefore, Maresca may well chose to license a window of opportunity to Dane Daniel Iversen, who did his chances no harm during the latter stages of last season when entrusted with the gloves over Danny Ward.
Iversen previously showed himself to be more than capable at this level during two successive loan spells with Preston North End, so he represents a reliable choice that stands every chance of being selected, even though youngster Jakub Stolarczyk deputised in Staffordshire
RB: Ricardo Pereira
Dynamic right-back Ricardo Pereira was omitted from the starting line-up at Burton amid Maresca’s bid to rotate and experiment, but he started the opener against Coventry, and it would come as a huge surprise to see him not feature from the first whistle this weekend, too.
After all, it is rather difficult to leave a player of Pereira’s pedigree and quality out of a Championship starting side.
CB: Wout Faes
Having played every available minute of his side’s opening two encounters, Wout Faes appears primed to be one of the first names upon Maresca’s team sheet yet again.
His reading of the game and dogged determination in the line of defence should see him nailed-on for not only Huddersfield, but indeed virtually every match that he is fit for.
CB: Callum Doyle
Callum Doyle has been used both centrally and as a left-back so far, but he should return to his natural position at the heart of the backline for Saturday afternoon, coming in for Jannik Vestergaard.
Doyle is blessed with ball-playing qualities vastly superior to those of the Danish international, helping the side to implement Maresca’s possession-based philosophy and play out from the back.
LB: James Justin
While there is clearly a risk element associated with the potential inclusion of James Justin in the starting line-up after not playing league football since the beginning of November due to injury, he has since returned to optimal fitness and both featured and impressed against the Brewers.
Sharp defensively and capable of supplementing width into Leicester’s forward plays with his attacking overlapping runs, now seems the perfect time for Justin to get the ball rolling once again.
CM: Wilfred Ndidi
Industrious, athletic and able to screen the defence from deep when Leicester advance the ball forward, Wilfred Ndidi seems poised to transpire as a cornerstone of Maresca’s modus operandi if he remains at the club beyond this month.
He has started both matches and even opened his account for the campaign this week, making him a shoe-in against Neil Warnock’s side.
CM: Harry Winks
No change should occur once again here, with Harry Winks looking equally-impossible to displace as things stand.
His composure in possession and ability to keep play ticking over in the middle of the park suits the way that Maresca wants Leicester to dominate the ball, which they will be looking to do plenty of at the John Smith’s Stadium.
CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
The hero from the curtain-raising Coventry clash, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is set to direct a starring role in Leicestershire this term.
Of course, he struck home a late brace to secure all three points while operating in what was a fresh advanced role in the side, frequently occupying the half-space in the final third to fire shots off at will and break lines with his creativity.
Such an instrumental impact on proceedings mean that there is absolutely no doubt of his status in the side up at Huddersfield.
RW: Dennis Praet
Versatile midfielder Dennis Praet is the first of two changes in personell that we believe Maresca may sanction this weekend.
Though primarily a central midfielder, Praet can play out wide and featured from the bench to lay on Dewsbury-Hall’s equaliser last time out, which should see him usurp the more inexperienced Kasey McAteer on the right flank.
ST: Kelechi Iheanacho
This one may just raise some eyebrows, however, at the same time, it is hard to contest that Kelechi Iheanacho has earned the responsibility of replacing long-standing talisman Jamie Vardy on Saturday afternoon.
The 36-year-old was tasked with leading the line against Coventry but seldom asserted his influence on the affair and was hauled off for Iheanacho after 75 minutes.
And while the Nigerian frontman was not the match winner there, he most certainly was away to Burton as he scored his side’s first and set up Ndidi’s goal on the cusp of half time.
Sure, it is a bold call, but it is one that has been warranted and could well be vindicated.
LW: Stephy Mavididi
Finally, it is fairly impossible to envisage a Leicester side that does not contain summer arrival Stephy Mavididi at the minute.
Dewsbury-Hall aside, the winger transpired as the star of the show last Sunday, laying on the midfielder’s winner, carving out chances galore and taking on his opposing number with great success.
Direct, tricky and capable of weighing in with goals of his own, Mavididi looks nailed-on to start from here on in.
