One Leicester City star’s place is far from guaranteed against Crystal Palace.
Leicester City will be hoping for their first win of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, as they face an out-of-form Crystal Palace side.
The Foxes will be hoping for a repeat of their two home fixtures in regards to the performances, as despite the fact they came away with just one point across the games, there were certainly positives to take from either game.
There was certainly plenty to build on from Steve Cooper following the Aston Villa loss, with him likely taking many positives from a narrow 2-1 defeat against a Champions League side.
However, one negative that Cooper will have taken away from the game is the performance of one of his key players in the centre-of-the-park, and there could be a likelihood that he is sidelined for a forgotten player.
Leicester City star Wilfred Ndidi could be dropped against Crystal Palace
Leicester City defensive-midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has started every game for the Foxes so far in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, and has been a constant in the starting line up for the side over several years.
However, last time out against Aston Villa, he certainly struggled and it was certainly a difficult match-up for him up against Amadou Onana and former Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans on Saturday.
On the playmaking front, he struggled to make a significant impact, as ‘he really struggled on the ball in advanced areas’, per Leicestershire Live, and as a result, Cooper may either look to play him in a more defensive-minded position, or replace him entirely.
Who could replace Wilfred Ndidi in the Leicester side
There are several options in the centre-of-the-park for Cooper to choose from, if he was to take a bold stance, and Boubakary Soumare is one of them.
He is yet to be handed a full opportunity from Cooper so far in the campaign, with him tallying just one substitute appearance in the draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
He was an unused substitute for the Aston Villa loss and looked like a clear option to come in for Ndidi and sit slightly deeper.
Whilst bringing in Soumare would certainly be a bold move from Cooper, persisting with Ndidi in an offensive position can simply not be the way forward for his side against Crystal Palace, and if he isn’t reverted back to his more familiar defensive position that he has thrived in in previous years, Leicester City could yet again struggle on the attacking front.