West Ham will hope to carry on in their winning ways when they take on Leicester City on Monday night. Both sides came away with three points in their respective opening fixtures but faced much better competition this time around. Hammers will be returning to the stadium to watch their team in the Premier League for the first time since February 2020 and will be sure to create an intimidating atmosphere for the visiting FA Cup champions.
Date: 23/08/21
Time: 8pm
Venue: London Stadium
Referee: Michael Oliver
Where to watch: Sky Sports
Match Preview:
West Ham came from behind twice to beat Newcastle last week, showing great character and attacking prowess to put four past the Magpies. Whilst the attacking players shined, David Moyes would certainly have been concerned with the defense who capitulated, allowing Newcastle to score too easily. They will be facing a much more potent attacking force when they host Leicester, who has Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, and new signing Patson Daka at their disposal. The Hammers may revert to a back five to counter this threat – as they did in both victories against the Foxes last season.
However, West Ham’s attack was so fluid and clinical against Newcastle, Moyes may elect to keep things the same and hope to outscore the Foxes. Leicester beat Wolves in their opening fixture, but it was not as comfortable a victory as the 1-0 scoreline suggests, and they had their fair share of defensive issues.
Team News:
West Ham came away from the Newcastle game unscathed and will likely have the same players available, provided there are no injuries in training. Arthur Masuaku is the only player unavailable as he continues to make appearances for the Under-23’s on his return to full fitness.
Predicted XI:
Fabianski, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Dawson, Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.
Opposition Preview
Team news:
Leicester has a number of players out with long-term injuries, including Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, and James Justin. Furthermore, Timothy Castagne is returning from an eye socket injury. James Maddison also received a knock in their last game against Wolves and may be unavailable.
Recent form:
WW
Leicester edged past Manchester City in the Community Shield to kick off their season before dispatching Wolves in their Premier League opener. Brendan Rodgers’ side will be confident they can avenge the two defeats they suffered against West Ham last season.
Key men:
Jamie Vardy has already opened his account for the season against Wolves. One of the Premier League’s best strikers, Vardy, will look to get in behind the West Ham defense, and as such, Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna will need to be at their best to counter them.
Youri Tielemans is a key cog in the Leicester machine. The Belgian is a midfield maestro and is an extremely well-rounded player. If he has too much time on the ball, he will be able to dictate the flow of the game; Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will be required to close him down and put him off of his game.
Predicted XI:
Schmeichel, Pereira, Vestergaard, Söyüncü, Amartey, Thomas, Tielemans, Ndidi, Perez, Barnes, Vardy.
Match Prediction:
West Ham 3 – 2 Leicester City
With both defenses looking shaky in the previous round, I’m predicting the attackers on both sides to have a lot of joy. Since Moyes managed to get the better of Rodgers twice last season, I’m predicting the Hammers to outscore their opponents in what is set to be an entertaining end to the second Premier League Matchweek.