Leicester vs Southampton: Can the Saints get revenge on the Foxes?

We will not mention the score line from the last meeting between these two but Southampton will be playing with more confidence this time.

The Saints are riding a hot hand currently coming off both a win in the league and in the FA Cup and look to continue climbing the table but face a formidable opponent on the road this week.

Leicester, sit second on the table and are coming off two consecutive league wins looking to make it 3 and maintain second place.

Both teams are in form and the result will likely be nothing like the first time these two met earlier in the season.

So let us take a look at how each team could win this match.

How Leicester Will Win

By any measure, the Foxes are having a fantastic season. They are second in the league, in the semis for the Carabao cup and advanced in the FA Cup. They will want to keep the ball rolling against a side they absolutely dismantled the first time around.

Leicester will want to put the visitors under pressure from the kick-off. They have to believe if they can get an early goal memories of the first matchup will come back to Saints and they will just look to not repeat the past.

The lineup Brendan Rodgers puts out will be interesting. He will know Southampton are not the same side they faced in October so he will need to play a strong side in order to not drop any vital points. Jamie Vardy, is bound to start along with the maestro midfielder, James Maddison.

If they can strike early and get a goal or two in the first half this game will be done and dusted. I think the first 30 minutes of this match will be the most important.

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How Southampton Will Win

Saints have been a different team since ditching 3-in-the-back and going for Hasenhuttl’s preferred formation of 4-2-2-2. The defense has shored up and the Saints no longer have the most goals conceded in the league.

Needless to say if they hope to win this go around they will need to concede less than they did the first time. What plays in-favor for the visitors is that the hosts played a midweek match against Villa in the Carabao cup in which they grinded out a 1-1 draw while fielding a strong side.

They may have some rotation on Saturday or a bit of fatigue and that will always favor the better rested side.

Leicester are deadly on the counter with their pace and clinical finishing, so limiting the chances they get to hit on the counter will be key. I expect they will play this match a lot like they did against Tottenham and Chelsea and look to press the other side into turning the ball over in their own half and not let them get comfortable on the ball.

I do not see a clean sheet being kept so if they want to take home all three points and exact revenge they may need to score 3 goals.

Predicted Lineups

Leicester: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Kasper Schmeichel

Defenders: Ricardo Pereira, Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, Ben Chillwell

Midfielders: Hamza Choudhury, Marc Albrighton

Attacking Midfielders: Youri Tielemans, James Maddison, Ayoze Perez

Strikers: Jamie Vardy

Southampton: 4-2-2-2

Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy

Defenders: Cedric, Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, Ryan Bertrand

Midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Attacking Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong, Nathan Redmond

Strikers: Danny Ings, Shane Long

Predicted Score

Leicester 2-2 Southampton