.png)
4 hours ago
3
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
“It’s a 5am kick-off time here in Oz for the Islam Slimani Derby,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “I remember his heavily artistic interpretation of a ‘loan move’ to NUFC from Leicester some years back under Benitez, complete with red card and absolutely eff all else?”
Slimani! Of course! Still playing in Belgium with Westerlo, according to The Internet.
Van Nistelrooy also had a word for Jeremy Monga, describing the 15-year-old on Leicester’s bench as someone that possesses “game-changing qualities”.
Monga would become the second youngest player ever to grace the Premier League, if he comes on tonight.
Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy speaks to the cameras:
Of course, the run of form is mark of confidence. When we have a defeat, what you want to do is get up and do the best you can. Every game is a new chance. The players are up for it, they are recharged and I have to give them credit for that. If you give up and stop believing, there is no chance of changing things.
Can we send these Southend fans to Washington DC?
“Not sure why an unchanged team has been named for maybe the fifth game in a row,” emails Leicester fan Graham Randall. “We’re due an absolute thrashing soon. We’ve been fortunate that recert teams have scored and then just had a practice match. Not sure what the answer is but it isn’t this manager. Absolutely clueless.”
It does seem very odd. And it’s not like he doesn’t have options on the bench. On their day, Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew and Buonanotte can all do some damage, particularly the latter.
The Isak celebration, the disdainful thumb over the shoulder, is one of my current favourites. It’s not better than Benjani’s, but it’s very, very good.
The teams!
Leicester: Hermansen, Faes, Coady, Thomas, Justin, Ndidi, Soumare, Kristiansen, Daka, El Khannous, Vardy.
Subs: Stolarczyk, Okoli, Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew, Ricardo Pereira, Skipp, Buonanotte, Monga.
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
Subs: Dubravka, Ruddy, Wilson, Targett, Krafth, Osula, Longstaff, Miley, Neave.
In chastening news for Leicester, Joelinton and Isak are both fit to start. Anthony Gordon, however, doesn’t make Newcastle’s squad. Still, that’s a pretty strong XI for the visitors, even if the bench is a little light.
Further Harvey Barnes-related reading.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the match known by absolutely nobody as the Ayoze Pérez Derby. There are not too many players that have made the not-so-famous switch between Leicester and Newcastle – I remembered Pérez, Chris Wood, Les Ferdinand, Keith Gillespie before Googling the rest, and found that I had forgotten Steve Howey, Nobby Solano, Steve Guppy, Danny Simpson. I’m sure there are others (my inbox is open for business, [email protected]), but that’s quite enough nostalgia for one preamble.
All of that is a long-winded way of saying that Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes will return to his former club this evening. The winger has played regularly for Eddie Howe since the injury (and Carabao Cup final suspension) of Anthony Gordon and it’s expected that the latter will not start tonight, having only joined full training on Friday. To make matters worse for Howe, both Alexander Isak and Joelinton have picked up knocks and are doubtful for this evening, which is absolutely essential for Newcastle’s Champions League ambitions. The Magpies will leapfrog Manchester City and go fifth with victory here.
Leicester are almost certainly doomed. After the Foxes won their first game and drew their second match under Ruud van Nistelrooy in early December, they have lost all but one of their subsequent league games. That leaves Leicester 15 points adrift of safety, nearly double their points tally.
An unlikely win here would still be intriguing. Their next two games are very difficult – Brighton away and Liverpool at home – but Leicester do actually have a relatively kind run in: Wolves (a), Southampton (h), Forest (a), Ipswich (h), Bournemouth (a). That’s about as easy as it gets in the Premier League these days. Leicester have almost certainly run out of road, but in the interests of narrative, let’s say they still have a chance.
Kick-off: 8pm BST.
