Leicester City Season Preview 2018/19 – Fixture analysis, Key player and Predicted finish
Leicester City should be aiming to make a strong start after ending their pre-season on a high. The Foxes beat French outfit Lille 2-1 in their final pre-season clash on Saturday night. Claude Puel’s team has looked impressive over the summer and will certainly make amends to their frustrating campaign last time out.
The Foxes saw star attacker Riyad Mahrez make the switch to the blue side of Manchester. The Algerian’s departure will certainly be a huge loss but the Foxes have subsequently replaced the player with another Algerian in the form of Rachid Ghezzal. The Monaco wide man arrives amidst much anticipation.
Claude Puel has also brought in the likes of James Maddison, Ricardo Pereira, Johnny Evans and Danny Ward. The manager has considerably strengthened the squad ahead of the new campaign. There’s very minimal time left for the transfer window to shut and Claude Puel can rest knowing that he has had a successful summer.
Key Player – Jamie Vardy
England striker Jamie Vardy will be aiming to maintain his fiery form after enjoying a superb campaign last time out that saw the striker score 20 goals and provide 1 assist in 37 league appearances.
Nigerian Kelechi Iheneacho also enjoyed a stellar pre-season, scoring 4 goals in three outings. The youngster should be aiming to nail down a regular role under Puel this year. Jamie Vardy will certainly rue the absence of Mahrez but the striker can team up with Ghezzal to become partners in crime.
The Fixtures
Leicester City should be gearing up to make a positive start by beating Manchester United on the opening day of the season. The Foxes’ clash against the Red Devils is also the opening game of the season, which means a lot of eyes will be on both the teams.
Manchester United haven’t looked confident in pre-season and the Foxes should take this chance to hunt them down. They then go on to face Wolves and Southampton before taking on Liverpool. The Foxes have a decent run of opening fixtures which they could make use of.
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Predicted finish – 9th
The former Premier League champions should return as a different team this season. Claude Puel has enjoyed a refreshing pre-season with the club. The squad looks fit and firing to go, and is very much capable of finishing in the top-10.