Leicester City host Brentford in the Premier League on Friday, in what is a huge game for Ruud van Nistelrooy and his players.
Last weekend, Leicester lost 2-0 against Arsenal but ironically, produced one of their best performances under Van Nistelrooy till a late Mikel Merino brace broke their hearts.
Leicester fans protested against the owners during the game, chanting ‘Rudkin out’ in the 14th minute of the contest.
A similar atmosphere is expected at the King Power Stadium on Friday night but Van Nistelrooy has urged the fans to get behind the team.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 25 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 19 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 25 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 23 | 50 | -27 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 25 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 25 | 55 | -30 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 25 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 19 | 57 | -38 | 9 |
The Foxes find themselves second from bottom in the table, level on points with Ipswich Town, but two adrift of Wolves.
Meanwhile, ahead of the game, the Leicester manager could make one decision that will surely shock the supporters.
Stephy Mavididi should start for Leicester City vs Brentford
Leicester’s starting XI vs Brentford could see three changes, one of those is Woyo Coulibaly replacing the injured James Justin, while Facundo Buonanotte should start ahead of Bobby De Cordova Reid on the right flank with Stephy Mavididi coming in for Jordan Ayew on the left.
Arguably, the decision to start Buonanotte would shock the fans, as Van Nistelrooy seems to have an agenda against the Argentine, but equally throwing Mavididi into the lineup would have an element of surprise.
The Frenchman was an integral part of their title-winning campaign last term but since being promoted to the Premier League, he’s struggled to increase his performance levels with just three goals and one assist in 14 starts.
Usually, Mavididi is guilty of wasting opportunities or making the wrong decision in the final third however, he looked bright in his 15-minute cameo from the bench against Arsenal, making 11 touches, completing two successful dribbles and winning three ground duels.
Alarmingly, he completed more dribbles than Ayew (1), who was on the pitch for 75 minutes longer than the 26-year-old.
Ayew got through some exceptional work defensively, including five ground duels won, but was ineffective going forward and he should therefore drop out for the more attacking Mavididi.
- READ MORE: ‘The funny thing is’… Paul Merson has just predicted the score when Leicester City face Brentford
What Mavididi has said about Ruud van Nistelrooy
The chips are currently down at Leicester but at the beginning of January, there was a lot more optimism floating around the King Power.
Following their 6-2 win over QPR in the FA Cup, Mavididi praised Van Nistelrooy’s impact on the dressing room, suggesting the Dutchman’s arrival gave him and his teammates a wake-up call.
“In his first meeting, it was kind of like a wake-up call to the lads – and myself included – and is pushing all of us to reach our maximum potential,” Mavididi said.
“He’s come in and gave an opinion on us. Someone from the outside looking in has a different opinion and put certain things in place. It’s paying off in performances, it’s just the results that we need to pick up.
“It (the win) was massive. We said in the changing room we have an important week coming up, hopefully we can kick on.
“The mentality has changed and he’s giving us confidence and reminding us of our potential and reminding us we have a good team and good players so that’s the main thing, the mentality.”
Those comments look ironic now as Leicester have won just two of their 13 league matches under the 48-year-old and are staring relegation in the face.
However, should Van Nistelrooy start Mavididi against Brentford, perhaps he can produce a moment of quality to help his side get out of trouble.