Ruud van Nistelrooy begins his reign as Leicester City manager when the Foxes take on West Ham in the Premier League on Tuesday night.
Both sides head into the contest looking for improvement, after disappointing starts to the season and heavy defeats at the weekend.
Jannick Vestergaard could return to the starting side for Leicester with Caleb Okoli a doubt after going off injured at Brentford on Saturday. Van Nistelrooy is without some key names, however, including Abdul Fatawu (ACL) and Harry Winks (groin).
West Ham will be boosted by the return of Mohammed Kudus after his five-match suspension, while Niclas Fullkrug is a small chance to feature after an Achilles issue.
Leicester vs West Ham – Match preview and team news
Form
Leicester: LDLLL
It’s five games without a Premier League win for Leicester, a slump that has prompted change with Steve Cooper sacked and Van Nistelrooy brought in.
The Foxes have won only twice since promotion and sit just a point above the relegation places. No side in the Premier League has conceded more goals than Leicester (27) and fixing his side’s leaky backline will be high on the priorities list for Van Nistelrooy. At the weekend, Leicester shipped four goals at Brentford and have one clean sheet all season. They’ve conceded 2+ goals in five of their last six league games.
Welcome, Ruud van Nistelrooy 🦊 💙 pic.twitter.com/wHcwZc85eY
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 29, 2024
Van Nistelrooy represents a gamble of an appointment but impressed during a recent spell as interim manager of Manchester United. His tenure included wins over Leicester in the Carabao Cup and Premier League.
West Ham: WLDWL
Just when West Ham appeared to have turned a corner under Julen Lopetegui, a crushing home defeat represented a new setback. The Hammers conceded five goals before half-time during their 5-2 defeat to Arsenal and trailed 4-0 after just 36 minutes.
Their last five defeats in all competitions have all been by three or more goals, with the Irons having capitulated in several losses this season. Lopetegui’s reign has struggled to get going and West Ham’s early-season hopes of a European push have been replaced by unrest. Just six points separates the 14th-placed Hammers from the drop zone.
Midweek trip to the Midlands 🚍 pic.twitter.com/O8QqQznqXq
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 2, 2024
Last Meeting
Leicester 2-1 West Ham, Premier League, 28th May 2023
Leicester were relegated from the Premier League on the final weekend in 2022/23, despite beating West Ham at the King Power Stadium. Goals from Harvey Barnes and Wout Faes secured three points, with Pablo Fornals netting a consolation for West Ham.
Despite the win, Leicester’s nine-year stay in the Premier League came to an end after Everton beat Bournemouth at Goodison Park.
Predicted Lineups
Leicester City: Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare; Decordova-Reid, Buonanotte, Ayew; Vardy.
West Ham: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez; Bowen, Soler, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio.
Who is the referee?
Josh Smith.
What channel will Leicester vs West Ham on?
Amazon Prime Video.
What time is kick-off?
20:15 GMT.
Odds
Leicester – 9/5
Draw – 23/10
West Ham – 6/4
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