Leicester City are soaring into their upcoming match against Watford this weekend, riding high off their emphatic victory over Stoke City on foreign turf. The Foxes have been on a scoring spree, having dispatched Swansea City and Birmingham City with ease at their own ground before their striking win in Stoke a week ago.
With no reason to ease off the throttle, Leicester City sits comfortably ahead of Southampton, Leeds United, and Ipswich Town. These teams seem primed to vie for the other top spot in the closing stages of the season, but Enzo Maresca is aware that his squad must not become complacent with their current favorable standings.
Watford recently suffered a defeat to Southampton in an FA Cup replay, while Leicester’s squad enjoyed some downtime. Maresca is scheduled to meet the press on Friday before the game, where he will update on Jannik Vestergaard’s availability. Despite missing the services of the globe-trotting Kelechi Iheanacho and the injured Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester’s team is in good shape ahead of their visit to Watford.
Should Vestergaard be sidelined, Maresca faces a crucial choice for his central defensive partnership alongside Wout Faes. Harry Souttar is back in contention after Australia’s exit from the Asian Cup at the hands of South Korea in the quarterfinals, and Conor Coady has been biding his time for an opportunity since his summer move.
Ben Nelson, the young talent who gained valuable experience on loan at Doncaster Rovers last season, is also in the mix. Maresca has been impressed with Nelson’s development and his performances in 2024 have been promising, including full matches in FA Cup wins over Millwall and Birmingham City. With Nelson stepping in for Vestergaard during the second half last week, his selection this Saturday, should Vestergaard be unavailable, hints at a potential start in the Championship for Leicester City.
Predicted Leicester City XI: Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard/Nelson, Doyle; Winks, Dewsbury-Hall, McAteer, Mavididi, Fatawu; Daka
