Newcastle v Leicester Preview By Simon Mack !

Newcastle United vs Leicester City

1^st January 2020 3pm

St James Park

As a new decade dawns Leicester City head north to St James Park to face Newcastle United.

The hectic festive Premier League program has not been kind to the magpies who have suffered defeats at home to Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton and on the road at Old Trafford going down 4-1 to Manchester United. Newcastle manager Steve Bruce suggested the home defeat to Ancelotti’s rejuvenated toffees was “a game too far” for some of his Newcastle players and the magpies boss alluded to the toll the congested Christmas fixture list had taken on his squad.

Bruce’s injury woes are something that has plagued his squad this season to date and the amount of bodies lining up for the physio’s table has added pressure onto the remaining players that are available for selection. It’s to the manager and his available player’s credit that the club sit in 11^th place in the league table and have a 7 point cushion to the relegation zone, however things are tight in the bottom half and a run of poor results for any of the teams that inhabit the lower reaches could well see them sucked into a relegation tussle.

Defender Jamaal Lascelles has a calf problem and won’t be available to Steve Bruce to face the foxes, in addition attacking midfielder Allan Saint-Maximin is out too with thigh trouble. Matt Richie’s ankle has still not fully recovered and he’s out too and won’t feature whilst midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung is ill. Defender Paul Dummett has a groin problem and is a doubt and defender Florian Lejeune is 50/50 having played 3 full 90 minutes in the space of a week. Ireland international Ciaran Clark is another of Newcastle’s squad suffering calf issues and will have a fitness test along with Brazilian striker Joelinton who joins the list with calf problems. Swiss defender Fabian Schar completes the long list of magpies injury woes with thigh trouble and is another who has been asked to pull on the shirt of late without being fully fit for the cause.

Whilst the injury list for the hosts is considerable the only addition to Matty James on the foxes physio table is full back Ricardo who complained of a tight hamstring post defeat to Liverpool. The Portuguese defender did not feature in victory down in London against West Ham on Saturday but he was not the only one as city boss Brendan Rodgers rang the changes in spectacular fashion with 9 of the team that lost to Liverpool being replaced. Many of the Premier League management fraternity complain of the ferocity and pace that the fixtures come along at this time of year and it is in contrast to a lot of Europe where the holiday season becomes just that.. a break in the football calendar.

With the hugely altered Leicester City starting eleven coming up trumps with all 3 points down at the London Stadium Rodgers now has a dilemma on his hands for this one as to whether to largely revert to his more familiar team selection or stick with the side that did him proud in their absence. Second guessing the Northern Irishman’s thought processes is never easy and has caught out many a commentator on the foxes this season. Jamie Vardy was earmarked for a break by his gaffer as the festive period commenced and the arrival of the latest addition to the Vardy family might well see the iconic city striker remain at home for this one and his capable deputy Kelechi Iheanacho get the not again. With Ricardo carrying a knock and James Justin have played so admirably against West Ham you’d think it most likely the young summer signing from Luton would continue at right back too. Marc Albrighton showed what a threat he provides from wide areas with his quality of delivery into the box and I personally would like to see him continue in the first team. The fixture pile up doesn’t abate in the new year for city either as a home FA Cup tie against Championship Wigan is quickly followed with a Carabao Cup 2 legged semi-final against Aston Villa and when all is considered you’d feel it most likely that the team to face the magpies could well be a mixture of the victorious team down in London and the more familiar team selection to date this season.

Back in September the foxes hosted Newcastle in the Premier league and ran out 5-0 winners against a 10 man magpies who seemed to lose the stomach for the fight having lost Isaac Haysen to a straight red just before the break, and whilst the hosts fortunes have improved of late Steve Bruce’s fatigued men will have to be at their very best to give the ever passionate toon support a New Year’s treat to blow away the celebratory hang overs.

Leicester City Possible Line Up: Schmeichel, Justin, Evans, Soyunchu, Chilwell, Ndidi, Albrighton, Perez, Praet, Tielemans, Iheanancho