Saints Marching
Fansided

Leicester vs Southampton: Preview and Predictions

By Ryan Borowski

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Mario Lemina of Southampton is consoled by Christian Fuchs of Leicester City as he reacts during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Leicester City and Southampton at The King Power Stadium on October 30, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Mario Lemina of Southampton is consoled by Christian Fuchs of Leicester City as he reacts during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Leicester City and Southampton at The King Power Stadium on October 30, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Southampton travel to the King Power Stadium to take on the Foxes and look to get themselves out of the relegation zone and into safety.

This will be the third meeting between the sides this season and the second at the King Power. The last meeting was a cup match that saw the Foxes win on penalties but things will stack up much differently this time.

Puel is fighting for his job whilst Southampton are fighting for their survival in the league. Although it is an away match for the Saints I expect them to be the more aggressive of the two sides. Hasenhuttl, will feel like this is a good opportunity to press Leicester into mistakes and grab all three vital points. But, let us take a look at how both sides could win

DERBY, ENGLAND – JANUARY 05: Southampton players celebrate after their team’s first goal during the FA Cup Third Round match between Derby County and Southampton at Pride Park on January 5, 2019 in Derby, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
DERBY, ENGLAND – JANUARY 05: Southampton players celebrate after their team’s first goal during the FA Cup Third Round match between Derby County and Southampton at Pride Park on January 5, 2019 in Derby, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Trending. Hasenhuttl confirms he wants new striker in transfer window. light

Why Leicester Will Win

The Foxes currently sit 7th on the table and have had a peculiar run of late. They beat Chelsea and City in back-to-back matches only to lose to Cardiff at home then turn around and beat Everton at Goodison Park. Who knows which Leicester will show up on Saturday to face the Saints?

In the first league meeting between the two sides, Leicester won 2-1 on a late Harry Maguire goal that really should have been stopped before it reached the net. Claude Puel’s side have been struggling for goals recently though so this should be a low scoring affair.

The former champions will likely have to face Hasenhuttl’s press and may sit back and absorb pressure all afternoon. Their best chance will be to nab a goal on the counter attack and keep a clean sheet which will be possible because the Saints striker options are very limited for this match. Jamie Vardy, does not need many chances to make the opposition pay and he will be looking to strike against the Saints

I can see the score of this game being 1-0 it’s just a matter of who has scores that one goal.

Why Southampton Will Win

More from Saints Marching

The press that we saw against Arsenal will surely be seen again against this Leicester side. Hasenhuttl has to believe this match is for the taking and I expect his side to come out with the more energy and urgency. I do not think a team like Leicester will handle the press exceedingly well and that bodes well for Southampton.

After facing a string of the top teams it will be refreshing to face a side with talent that is more equal to ours. Look for the Saints to dominate possession but struggle to get clear chances when they are in the final third. The foxes will sit back and block shots and cut off passing lanes, so for the Saints to win it may take a strike like Redmond’s second goal in the recent cup match to secure 3 points.

Hasenhuttl will have limited options to choose from for his lineup due to a variety of reasons but I still expect a strong squad that will be capable of winning the match to be put out there.

Predicted Lineups

Leicester: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Kasper Schmeichel

Defenders: Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, Wes Morgan, Ricardo Pereira

Midfielders: Hamza Choudury, Wilfred Ndidi, Nampalys Mendy

Forwards: James Maddison, Jamie Vardy, Marc Albrighton

Southampton: 3-4-2-1

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn

Defenders: Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, Jannik Vestergaard

Midfielders: Yan Valery, Oriel Romeu, Mario Lemina, Matt Targett

Attacking Midfielders: Nathan Redmond, Stuart Armstrong

Striker: Shane Long

Predicted Score

Leicester 0-1 Southampton