Predicted Leicester City XI v QPR as Patson Daka decision made in Ruud van Nistelrooy balancing act
Patson Daka could replace Jamie Vardy but there may be limited changes made by Ruud van Nistelrooy for Leicester City’s FA Cup third-round tie against QPR.
Van Nistelrooy knows he has to balance squad fitness and the need for a confidence-boosting win when the in-form Championship side visit the King Power Stadium on Saturday. City need to get out of their losing spiral after five straight defeats, but energy must also be conserved ahead of a huge game against Crystal Palace next Wednesday.
“We’ll address the squad over the coming days,” van Nistelrooy said. “It’s important to keep our development going. We want to break the current run of defeats, that’s important. We want to play well and gain confidence. It’s all part of what I’m thinking, then I’ll make decisions on squad and playing time.
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“But we have to look at the condensed schedule and resting players or if players have little injuries, that won’t change. The Premier League games for this club are vital.”
If any player is likely to be rested, it is Vardy. Daka, who started in place of the number nine at Liverpool on Boxing Day, is expected to come into the side.
There’s likely to be a change at the heart of defence too. Jannik Vestergaard has declared doubtful after limping out at Aston Villa last weekend, and it’s unlikely he will be risked, meaning Wout Faes could be handed his first start under van Nistelrooy.
Facundo Buonanotte, who has only started two of the new manager’s seven games, could come into the side too. He would replace Jordan Ayew on the right flank.
But while there are plenty of contenders for rotation, van Nistelrooy may stick with many of his regulars. In goal, Jakub Stolarczyk is very likely to continue, while James Justin, Conor Coady, and Luke Thomas may be selected again in the back four.
Van Nistelrooy could try Hamza Choudhury at right-back, or even hand a debut to Jayden Joseph, the Under-21s full-back who has trained with the first team in recent weeks. At centre-back, Caleb Okoli is an option if van Nistelrooy wanted to give Coady a break.
Thomas is perhaps the most likely of the back four to continue. Victor Kristiansen, sidelined by illness at Villa, has not been seen in training in the past couple of days.
In midfield Choudhury and Oli Skipp will push Harry Winks and Boubakary Soumare, but the regular pairing may be given another outing together to develop their partnership. In attack, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Will Alves and fit-again Kasey McAteer are contenders to start.
Some of the young players who have been in matchday squads in recent weeks could also make the bench, including centre-back Tom Wilson-Brown and midfielder Henry Cartwright. There is a lot of excitement around 15-year-old Jeremy Monga, who would become the club’s youngest-ever player if he featured.
Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Faes, Thomas; Winks, Soumare; Buonanotte, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Daka. Subs from: Iversen, Joseph, Okoli, Wilson-Brown, Kristiansen, Choudhury, Cartwright, Skipp, McAteer, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew, Alves, Monga, Vardy, Edouard.
