PREVIEW: LEICESTER CITY (A)

30 December 2023

A comprehensive look ahead to our first Sky Bet Championship opponents of 2024

- Leicester City vs Huddersfield Town
- Monday 1 January 2024; 3pm kick-off
- First visit to King Power Stadium since 2018

Much like Town, it’s been a busy period for the Foxes over Christmas and New Year that was kicked off by a 3-0 home win against Rotherham United on Saturday 23 December.

Since then, it’s been two long trip on the road for Leicester City, with a 1-1 draw in a top of the table clash with Ipswich Town followed up by a journey to South Wales to face Cardiff City on Friday 29 December 2023.

Their first home fixture of 2024, it’s a first trip to the King Power Stadium since 2018 in the Premier League for Town, with the Terriers looking to put right a record that has seen them win just once in 10 outings against the Foxes.

THE OPPOSITION

It was an eventful nine year spell in the Premier League for Leicester City after promotion at the end of the 2012/13 campaign, with the Midlands sidehaving a league title and FA Cup to show for themselves now back in the Sky Bet Championship.

With a squad that reflects a side who had played in the Champions League more recently than the Championship until the summer, Leicester find themselves top of the division as they look to return to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Having visited the John Smith’s Stadium right at the start of the campaign, they edged the Terriers by one goal to nil on the day thanks to a finish inside the final 20 minutes, with Town more than matching them for much of the contest.

Enzo Maresca LCFC 2023 16x9.png

THIER MANAGER

Having joined in the summer from Manchester City where he was part of Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff, Italian coach Enzo Maresca has enjoyed his time with Leicester City to date.

Still just 43-years-old, the coach has been in work since hanging up his playing boots in 2017, joining Ascoli in Italy as an assistant after finishing his career with Hellas Verona having been a midfielder for over a decade professionally.

Since that first role with Ascoli, Maresca has since spent time with Sevilla, West Ham United, Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, Parma and finally Manchester City again before being installed as Manager of Leicester City in June 2023.

LAST TIME OUT

Leicester City continued thier good form at the top of the Sky Bet Championship with a 2-0 away win at Cardiff City in their final game of 2023, with Dewsbury-Hall and James Justin netting in South Wales.

With a goal in each half, the Foxes made the most of their three shots on target, controlling the ball with 64% possession and limiting the chances the home side could have as a result.

Extending their run to nine games without defeat, Leicester have won seven and drawn two of their last nine games, with back-to-back losses at the start of November the last time they were on the wrong end of a result.

Previous Starting XI: Hermansen; Vestergaard, Faes, Justin; Fatawu, Ndidi, Winks, Mavididi; Dewsbury-Hall, Choudhury; Daka

FORMATION

Maresca has deviated just twice from his settled 4-3-3 formation this season in the Sky Bet Championship, operating a 3-4-3 in a home loss against Hull City and 4-2-3-1 in a recent home win against Rotherham United.

With a host of attacking talent to call on, especially in wide areas, that is the priority for Leicester, with the combination of men in the middle able to keep possession and release attackers at will.

Unsurprisingly for a coach who has worked closely with Guardiola, the role Maresca has for his full-backs is also dynamic, with their ability to come inside and push forward essentially providing Leicester extra men in midfield when required.

WHO TO WATCH

Ricardo Pereira

Signed from Porto, 30-year-old Portuguese international defender Pereira has been with Leicester since 2018, having been signed for a reported €25 million fee. Wearing the captain’s armband this season on 13 occasions, he has operated from his familiar right-back berth on all but three occasions where he’s filled in on the opposite flank. Confident on the ball and bringing it forward, Pereira was one of the Premier League’s most eye-catching attacking full-backs before a run of injuries prior to Leicester’s recent relegation.

Ricardo Pereira LCFC 2023 16x9.png

Harry Winks

A summer signing from Tottenham Hotspur for around £10 million, midfielder Winks has international experience with England and Champions League exposure with Spurs to fall back on. Having come through the North London side’s academy, he was part of their first team until 2022, when he made a loan move to Italy with Sampdoria for a season after struggling with injury. Now fully fit, Winks has been indispensable for Leicester, helping to marshal midfield, move the ball and even chip in with a couple of goals himself.

Harry Winks LCFC 2023 16x9.png

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Eight goals and nine assists in 25 games in the Sky Bet Championship has made Dewsbury-Hall one of the divisions most clinical midfielders. An ever-present with only two appearances coming from the bench, his relationship with Winks in the middle has been crucial, as is his licence to roam into the box and make late runs onto crosses and cutbacks to make the most of his eye for goal. Now 25-years-old, he’s no stranger to this league having spent time with Luton Town on loan in the 2020/21 campaign where he registered three goals and six assists in 39 games.

Kiernan Dewsbury Hall LCFC 2023 16x9.png

TOWN TEAM NEWS

With a short turnaround between our previous fixture against Middlesbrough at the John Smith’s Stadium on Friday 29 December 2023 and kick-off against Leicester City at 3pm on Monday 1 January 2024, Manager Darren Moore won’t have time to hold a pre-match press conference for this fixture.

Supporters will be able to find out who is available and how Moore has decided to line-up against the Foxes at 2pm on match day, the usual one hour before kick-off.

KIT

We’ll be back in our Acid Lime away kit to begin the New Year, with Leicester at home in their traditional royal blue strip.

Having proven extremely popular with supporters, you can still get your hands on one of your own by visiting us at our Club Shop at the John Smith’s Stadium or by CLICKING HERE to shop online!

Jack Rudoni WBA Away 2023 POTM 16x9.png

TICKET NEWS

Tickets are now off sale for our first Sky Bet Championship fixture of 2024, with no pay on the day in effect at the King Power Stadium.

iFOLLOW HTAFC

Falling outside of the traditional Saturday 3pm broadcast blackout, this fixture will be available to watch and listen to live via iFollow HTAFC!

If you’re unable to travel with us to Leicester, video match passes are £10 and audio match passes are just £2.50.

CLICK HERE to find out more about your options with iFollow.

Match Reports

REPORT: LEICESTER 4-1 TOWN

1 January 2024

Defeat on the road against the league leaders

- Leicester City 4-1 Huddersfield Town
- Foxes pull away in the second half
- Michał Helik scores a second half consolation

Town were defeated in the first game of 2024 by league leaders Leicester City at their King Power Stadium, who put the game to bed through three second half goals.

There was only a goal in it at the interval, but a second for Leicester inside 90 second half seconds set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

Although a seventh of the season from Michał Helik gave feint hopes of a late rally at 3-1, it wasn’t to be.

Darren Moore made two changes to the side that performed well despite defeat to Middlesbrough last time out. One was through choice, with Lee Nicholls returning from injury to replace Jacob Chapman in goal, whilst the other was enforced, with Jonathan Hogg unwell and replaced by Rarmani Edmonds-Green.

As expected against the league leaders, Town had to be very organised in defence in the face of possession for Leicester. However, they showed signs on the break as they have done consistently over recent weeks thanks to the front two of Sorba Thomas and Josh Koroma.

As early as the third minute, Jack Rudoni played the ball low into the area for Koroma, who lobbed it over the goalkeeper towards the back post. Only Ricardo Pereira’s volleyed clearance prevented Thomas from slotting it home.

At the other end, a ball over the top from big defender Jannik Vestergaard was only inches ahead of Pereira’s run, who had ghosted into the box off the shoulder of Tom Lees.

Town attacked again in the eighth minute with Edmonds-Green releasing Thomas into space down our left with a good pass. He tried to square the ball low to Koroma in the area, with the ball blocked by a defender to the edge of the box. Up stepped Ben Wiles, but he could only volley over with his left as the ball bounced awkwardly.

Town defended the box well but were dealt a blow on the half hour when Jaheim Headley suffered an ankle injury when fouled by Cesare Casadei. He tried to continue after treatment but couldn’t continue soon after and was replaced by 20-year-old Frenchman Loick Ayina. It was the third game running that Moore was forced into a first half change due to an injury or illness.

Five minutes from the interval, the Foxes took the lead. A cross from our left from James Justin was pushed back into the path of striker Tom Cannon by Pereira’s outstretched leg and the former Everton man let fly with a powerful snapshot that flew low between Nicholls’ dive and his right-hand post.

Nicholls had one more piece of action before the interval, comfortably collecting a shot from out wide by winger Abdul Fatawu.

Sadly, just as happened at Norwich City in December, Leicester scored their all-important second in quick fashion after the half time break. Leicester took kick-off and worked the ball around the pitch before Justin looped a cross towards the back post, where Pereira headed it across Nicholls and inside the far post.

Yunus shot wide before Ayina had to divert Fatawu’s goal-bound effort wide, and then Cannon had a second disallowed for offside from the resulting set piece.

Rudoni headed wide at the near post after a decent move and good cross from Sorba Thomas, but then Leicester netted a third when Cannon raced unmarked through the centre of the pitch onto Winks’ through pass, shrugged off the last-ditch challenge from Lees and placed the ball past Nicholls.

Town’s goal came soon after in the 63rd minute after Kasumu had a good shot turned around the post by Leicester goalkeeper Hermansen. Thomas’ deep corner found Lees and although his shot was blocked, the ball fell to Helik, and he diverted it into the roof of the net.

That spurred Town on for 10 minutes. Wiles soon saw a shot deflected wide after good work from Thomas led to a pull back from Rudoni.

Ayina then won possession for his side and set Thomas away on the counter, who combined well with Rudoni and Nakayama to find Koroma with a pass on the edge of the box. He stepped onto his right and tried to bend the ball into the bottom corner, but Hermansen did well again to tip the ball wide.

Despite that passage of play, it was the host who scored the game’s final goal when Ayina fouled Mavididi on the right edge of our area, from which the winger managed to fire the free kick past the defensive wall and inside Nicholls’ near post.

Town’s final effort of note saw Thomas beat two defenders on our left before finding Koroma with a pass on the edge of the area. He used Diarra’s overlap as a decoy and let fly, rattling the crossbar from 20 yards out.

Town’s team (3-5-2)
Lee Nicholls; Tom Lees, Michał Helik (c), Yuta Nakayama; David Kasumu, Ben Wiles (Brahima Diarra, 79’), Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Jack Rudoni, Jaheim Headley (Loick Ayina, 37’); Josh Koroma, Sorba Thomas

Unused substitutes
Jacob Chapman; Kyle Hudlin, Josh Austerfield, Tom Iorpenda, Michael Stone, Conor Falls

Town booking
Loick Ayina (76’)

Gate

30,407