Match predictions and expected starting eleven in the EFL Cup

The Welsh head coach will be hoping for an improvement in their form and will use the EFL Cup as an opportunity to give other players a chance to prove themselves. I was expecting a much changed team last time out but that was not the case as Leicester beat Tranmere Rovers 4-0.

Comparing the two teams, it’s clear what to expect from the King Power travellers. Walsall are in the top group of League Two, having won three of their last five games and lost two. The Foxes, on the other hand, are in the bottom group of the Premier League, having lost two and drawn three. Regardless of what looks like poor form, draws against other EPL teams are perhaps Leicester’s level.

When analyzing a small amount of data, Steve Cooper’s Leicester City are less creative than their opponents. Per 90 minutes, the King Power side achieve 1.44 in xG+xA (the best measure of a team’s creativity) and their opponents 2.86 – almost double. Now, that’s not to say we should expect Walsall to create countless killer chances: we can rather expect Leicester to waste chances at some point and create chances at some point. The game may not be so clear-cut and easy to win.

The only positive is that we can predict almost exactly how Walsall will line up. They will have a compact, deep defensive block consisting of two lines with several defensive midfielders to seal off space and put pressure on our creative talents in midfield. They will likely give up the wings as trying to play one-on-one with one of our explosive wingers would be incompetent.

So Cooper’s side will have the most possession by far. They will be a very different team but will need to maintain the tempo and consistent passing to avoid giving the hosts any silly chances. As mentioned, Walsall are a team used to winning and scoring goals. Their team knows how to take chances. The key will be to minimise their ability. So Cooper will do what we have already seen: use two defensive midfielders as well. I predict a 3-1 win for the Foxes.

If I take the Tranmere Rovers game as a template, I doubt there will be too many major changes. However, I would say there should be a few changes.

Danny Ward will start in goal. With Jakub Stolarczyk still out injured, Welshman Ward is the cup goalkeeper. At the back, Ward will be guarded by a back four of Luke Thomas, Jannik Vestergaard, Conor Coady and Ricardo Pereira (C). All four are unlikely to get much playing time in the EPL, so they will get their chances in the cup for now.

In midfield, the three chosen will probably still be Harry Winks – who is crucial to Leicester City’s style of play – and either Boubakary Soumare or Hamza Choudhury in the DM positions instead of Oliver Skipp. I think Facundo Buonanotte will be nominated for the AM position as Wilfred Ndidi seems to be popular in the league.

In attack, Kasey McAteer, Odsonne Eduoard and Abdul Fatawu should start. With Stephy Mavididi and Jordan Ayew favourites in the league, it would be odd if Cooper now started Ayew as a striker in the cup and did not use the currently unused Edouard. It would be equally odd if he decided not to start McAteer, as he did against Tranmere Rovers.