Leicester City host Villarreal on Wednesday night in their last pre-season game before the Foxes start their season on Saturday in the Community Shield versus Manchester City.
Leicester will be hoping they can produce a better performance than their last three games for the fans returning to the King Power, as they look to put up a good fight against Villarreal.
The UEFA Europa League winners come to the East Midlands in midweek, as the Spanish side challenge the high-flying Premier League team. The Foxes will hope they can top their pre-season off with a win after being winless in all three.
Fans will be back in the stadium on Wednesday evening, as they see their side back in action for just the second time since March 2020. It’s set to be a fascinating watch, with Leicester hopeful to go into the deep stages of the Europa League, to see how they fare against the winners.
Team News
Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Ward both returned to training this week, as they came back after the pair had successful runs in the European Championships. The game may come too soon however to see them feature.
James Justin remains out with an ACL injury with the young full-back looking to be out until around Christmas. Harvey Barnes played 45 minutes last time out against Queens Park Rangers, so could be available for this one. James Maddison is also set to return to the side after he missed last week's game after his partner gave birth. Jonny Evans will miss the game, with the defender having an ankle issue, the center back is set to miss the start of the season as well.
Former Leicester midfielder, Vincente Iborra, won’t return to the King Power on Wednesday due to injury. He expressed his disappointment on social media, saying, “So sad. Finally, I can not travel to Leicester. I hope to see you soon and hopefully I can be there as soon as possible”.
Gerrard Moreno has returned to training but is unlikely to feature. Pau Torres is currently on international duty at the Olympics and Samuel Chukwueze has a hip injury, so the pair won’t be involved against Leicester.
Predicted Lineups
Leicester City XI: Jakupovic; Pereira, Soyuncu, Fofana, Bertrand; Soumare, Tielemans, Maddison; Barnes, Daka, Albrighton.
Villarreal XI: Asenjo; Gasper, Foyth, Albiol, Mandi; Pedraza, Morlanes, Trigueros, Iosifov; Nino, Pino.
Ones to Watch
Leicester City- Patson Daka
Former RB Salzburg striker, Patson Daka, could cause a threat for the Villarreal defence in midweek, as the Zambian looks to get on the scoresheet once again. Daka’s confidence will be through the roof, after getting a goal, assist, and winning the penalty all in the space of half an hour.
It’s unknown whether the striker will start the game, but he is likely to make an appearance at some point in the tie. With Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy both in his position, Daka will be looking to impress at every moment possible to get his name put on the team sheet consistently.
Villarreal- Fernando Nino
The young 20-year-old, Fernando Nino, could take place up front on Wednesday evening, partnering Yeremi Pino. With Moreno likely not to play after only being in training for a few days, Villarreal will be relying on right-footed attacker to be able to finish his chances.
Nino has made 39 appearances for Unai Emery’s side in all competitions, in that time he’s found the back of the net 10 times and has assisted once. The youngster has averaged a goal every 116 minutes. The Spanish international will hope he can cause issues for the young Leicester side.
How to watch
You can watch Leicester vs Villarreal on LCFC TV either on YouTube or on lcfc.com.