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Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 03/02/21...

Started by WhiteJC, February 03, 2021, 12:15:04 AM

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filham

Lots of positives to Take Away, Great Defending, Lots of Possession, Well Organized, Unlucky, Attractive Football, are among the headlines we have had since we came home with 3 points from Leicester.
All we want tonight is another three points, forget about the good headlines.

WhiteJC

Josh Maja was the 'bad guy' of Netflix documentary 'Sunderland 'Til I Die' as his acrimonious exit played out in front of the cameras... now the striker is back in England, so can he guide Fulham away from relegation?

    Josh Maja completed a deadline day move to Premier League side Fulham
    The striker was one of the stars of Netflix documentary Sunderland 'Til I Die
    The 22-year-old joined Bordeaux in 2019 following a long transfer saga
    Maja is now back in England after a tough two years in France's top flight

His transfer saga made him one of the 'stars' of the second series of the Netflix documentary 'Sunderland 'Til I Die'. Now, Josh Maja is hoping he can hit the headlines for different reasons after completing a deadline day move to Fulham.

Under the management of Scott Parker, the striker has the chance to rejuvenate a stuttering career which had shown much promise on Wearside.

Losing the their star forward cost Sunderland promotion to the Championship in 2019. Maja scored 15 goals in 24 League One games in the first half of the season before earning a move to Bordeaux.


Josh Maja's acrimonious Sunderland exit was captured on the club's Netflix documentary

Following his acrimonious exit from the Stadium of Light, the striker has only managed 11 goals in 48 games. He's also had three managers in two years.

But who is the player portrayed in the Netflix documentary? What went wrong at Bordeaux and is he the man to fire Fulham to Premier League survival? Sportsmail takes a look...

Maja at Sunderland
The striker burst on to the scene in the opening month of the 2018-2019 season, scoring in all four of Sunderland's August fixtures. At that point, the club realised they needed to tie him to a new deal. Ironically, their problem was he kept scoring.

By January 2019, Maja had 15 goals and two assists in League One and several clubs who wanted to sign him. The interest from elsewhere meant Sunderland were looking at a bigger contract than they had previously envisaged.

Nevertheless, chairman Stewart Donald was so confident of holding on to the forward he publicly stated that Maja would sign a new deal.

Maja himself reassured supporters he would be staying in the North East, promising fans that he would still be in the city to turn on their Christmas Lights the following year. A few weeks later he was packing his bags for France.


The striker attracted interest from other clubs following his impressive form in League One

One of the most memorable moments for the documentary shows Maja being asked about his future by the film crew. The striker unconvincingly attempted to give the impression he was unaware of interest from other clubs.

Reporter: 'So there's a bit of transfer speculation...'

Maja: 'Transfer speculation? About who?'

Reporter: 'About you.'

Maja: 'About me?'

Reporter: 'Did you not see that?'

Maja: 'There was? Hmm. That's interesting.'

That scene didn't paint the best picture of Maja; however, it wasn't the easiest of situations for a young player to be put in. The striker's agent was also in the thick of the saga.

It was claimed by Donald that Maja's representative was pushing for a move abroad so he could get £1million in commission.



     
Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald (left) was left frustrated when he was unable to agree a new contract with Maja's agent, while Maja insisted he was unaware of transfer speculation

Before Sunderland officially accepted Bordeaux's offer of £3.5m, Donald received an angry phone call from manager Jack Ross.

'I'm negotiating with Josh, it's all moving along - and then Jack calls me,' Donald says in the documentary.

'He says "thanks very much - Josh has come in and picked up all his stuff and said that he's gone. You could have told me you'd accepted an offer."

'I said "woah, hold on a minute. I haven't accepted anything.'''

Sunderland were eventually forced to let Maja leave for a fee or risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season. The situation was handled badly by all parties but the documentary firmly painted Maja as the villain.

'I always knew they were going to portray it like that, to make it look like I'm the bad guy,' Maja told The Independent in October.

'When I look back on my time at Sunderland, it will always be bittersweet,' he added.

'It was obviously a difficult decision to leave, but it was about recognising that it was time to take the next step.'


The forward left Sunderland to join Bordeaux in January 2019 for a fee of around £3.5million

Maja at Bordeaux
That next step came in the French top flight. Maja only made seven appearances in the second half of the 2018-2019 season with four of those coming from the bench.

His second season in France was by far his best and the signs of his potential were beginning to show once again.

Before the pandemic suspended and eventually ended the Ligue 1 season, Maja was Bordeaux's joint top scorer with eight goals in eight starts and 16 substitute appearances, contributing a goal or assist every 81 minutes.

That earned him the reputation of being a 'super sub' - although only one of his goals was after coming off the bench.


The 22-year-old managed eight goals in his second season but just two in 17 games this term

A high point was his hat-trick in a 6-0 win over struggling Nimes.

The forward was expected to be given more starts after that game but boss Paulo Sousa preferred to use him as an impact player.

New manager Jean-Louis Gasset gave Maja more game time this season with 11 starts and six more appearances from the bench. However, the striker only managed two goals - which perhaps explains Sousa's preference of bringing him off the bench.

Fulham certainly need Maja to be an impact player if they are to avoid relegation back to the Championship.

Maja at Fulham? 
This is Maja's second spell at Fulham with the striker having played for the club's academy before moving to Manchester City and then Sunderland.

Missing out on Josh King to Everton puts more pressure on Maja to find the goals needed to steer Parker's side to safety.

Bobby Decordova-Reid is the club's top scorer in the league with five goals. Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavaleiro both have three while Aleksandr Mitrovic has two.

All three have also missed 14 big chances between them. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than Fulham and West Brom this season and it will be hoped Maja can rediscover his form from Sunderland - albeit in two divisions higher.

There is reason to believe Maja and Parker could be a good fit. The Fulham boss has got the best out of players who haven't quite made it in the top flight previously.

Decordova-Reid has already matched the number of goals he managed in the Premier League with Cardiff while Lookman never made the grade at Everton but has been one of the club's best players this season.

     
There is reason to believe that Fulham boss Scott Parker (right) can get the best out of Maja

Fulham fans should also be encouraged by what his former manager had to say about Maja. What wasn't shown in the Sunderland documentary was a scene described by Ross following the striker's departure.   

Ross said: 'Josh was not only a tremendously talented young player but was a very humble young man.

'That was shown by the fact he returned to the club a couple of weeks ago, left gifts, not just for myself and the coaching staff but for a lot of the people around the club, handwritten cards thanking them for the support they've given him and allowing him to progress his career.

'That example of how a young man conducts himself is something people don't often get to see.'

That is the Maja Parker will be hoping arrives at Craven Cottage this week.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9214029/Josh-Maja-bad-guy-Sunderland-Til-Die-help-Fulham-away-relegation.html

WhiteJC

Leicester Matchday Preview

Fulham v Leicester City | Wednesday 3rd February 2021 | 6pm | Craven Cottage | #FULLEI

The opposition

    Leicester currently occupy fourth spot in the table, and will be hopeful of finishing in those Champions League spots come the end of the season.
    A title challenge is not beyond the realms of possibility, though, with only the two Manchester sides winning more Premier League games than the Foxes' 12.
    At Craven Cottage, they will be keen to move on from what was a disappointing week, when they took just one point from fixtures against Everton and Leeds United.

Fulham team news

Terence Kongolo has returned to modified training but this game will come too soon for the defender, while Tom Cairney remains sidelined.

Leicester team news

Jamie Vardy is closing in on a return following hernia surgery, but the weekend appears to be a more realistic timeframe for him. Wilfred Ndidi and Timothy Castagne were both withdrawn during games last week and are expected to miss the Fulham trip, while influential defender Wesley Fofana will be assessed. Club captain Wes Morgan is also a doubt with a back complaint and midfielder Dennis Praet is out for three months.

Virtual mascots

#FULLEI is the first fixture to feature our virtual mascots, and we're pleased to introduce Cayden Hyde, Luke Humphries and Marquel Vincent ahead of the game.


Coverage

Gentleman Jim is currently isolating after a member of his family tested positive for Covid-19, so Fulham favourite Sean Davis will be joining Jamie Reid on the mic for FFCtv's live commentary. The game will also be broadcast live on BT Sport 2.

Player insight

Bobby De Cordova-Reid says Fulham can take confidence from having already beaten Leicester this season.

"If we did it once, we can do it again," he said. "They've just come off a bad result as well.

"We go into the game knowing that we need a win and that if we perform well, then why not?

"If we go into the game with a good attitude and willingness to work hard, play our attacking football, then we'll be fine."

Form

Fulham: LLLDD

Leicester: WWWDL

Pre-match quotes

"We're playing against an extremely well organised, very, very good Leicester side who are going to be challenging right up there this year at the right end of the table, but I'd like to think that we can put an imprint on them as well."

Scott Parker
Fulham Head Coach

"They've got dangerous players and I think they'll get stronger in the second part of the season, so for us, we have to be ready for a very difficult game."

Brendan Rodgers
Leicester City Manager



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/february/Leicester-Matchday-Preview/


WhiteJC

Fulham fans may need to be patient with Maja, says Parker

Fulham fans will need to be patient with Josh Maja, according to Scott Parker.

The club's deadline-day signing may need time to adjust to the Premier League, especially as he comes from France's Ligue 1, where Maxime Le Marchand and Jean-Michael Seri have returned on loan after failing to impress.

Neither cut it in England's top flight, and although Maja proved his worth to Bordeaux, the Whites head coach is not sure how quickly the striker will readjust to English football.

"In Josh we feel there's potential," Parker said. "He scored a lot for Sunderland, albeit in League One.

"He missed the Championship and went to France, so the next challenge is can he produce that in the Premier League?

"He's a natural finisher; he's got good habits in that. But I think it would be very unfair to put the pressure on a young player who's not worked around this level.

"He may need some time. he may hit the ground running.

"He's someone I want to work with and if he's engaged with us, and I hear he is, we'll be fine."

It helps that Maja is a Londoner, one who started out with Crystal Palace and then Fulham before getting his league chance with Sunderland.

Parker said: "The window that Josh has to come into this football club (where he needs to) hit the ground running and win football matches in the Premier League, you need to try and eradicate as many factors that could stall that.

"And one of the factors is are they familiar with the area, have they lived in London or England before? Language? English League?

"So, certainly there's some different factors there to tick a box for Josh as well as his qualities and his ability so we hope that helps in his settling-in period."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-fans-need-to-be-patient-with-maja-says-parker

WhiteJC

Fulham team news: Josh Maja not ready to make debut after deadline day deal

New Fulham signing Josh Maja is not ready to make his debut at Craven Cottage tonight.

The 22-year-old striker joined on deadline day on loan from Bordeaux until the end of the season, marking a return to a club where he played youth football before going on to make his senior debut for Sunderland.

However, the striker only arrived at the club on Tuesday and must work up to match fitness.

"Josh is not here at the moment, he comes in today, he's not played over the last three or four games so we need to see physically where he is," said Fulham manager Scott Parker.

"Ability-wise Josh was here as young boy, he's played in English football so I don't see that as an issue. Probably more just where he is physically and we'll judge that.

"Physically where he is, is something we'll have to work out. I brought Josh to the football club because he's someone who I see with big potential, someone I see we can develop.

"When you look at the transfer work we've done this season in Antonee Robinson, Tosin, Harrison Reed, Ademola Lookman, even Ruben Loftus-Cheek.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-fc-team-news-josh-maja-scott-parker-b918461.html

WhiteJC

Maja Handed Fulham Shirt No. Previously Worn By Two-time AFCON Winner;

Nigeria national teamer Josh Maja has been allocated a shirt number after completing a deadline day move to English Premier League club Fulham, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

The Bordeaux loanee will be sporting the number 27 jersey if he steps out on to the Craven Cottage turf this evening against Leicester City.

Manager Scott Parker is mulling over whether to name him in the squad following his arrival in London on Tuesday.

Fulham's number 27 shirt has previously been worn by Cameron legend Pierre Womé, who started against Nigeria in the final of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations and won the tournament again with the Indomitable Lions in 2002.

The jersey has also been used by Whites icon Danny Murphy, Jonathan Greening and Zat Knight in the past.

Maja wore the number 20 in his final season with Sunderland, had the number 17 when he joined Bordeaux in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign before switching to number 9 the following season.

If he's given a run-out against the Foxes, it would be his Premier League debut after making appearances in the Championship and League One, scoring 16 goals in 41 appearances.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel



https://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=38834


WhiteJC

'Good question' - Fulham boss on whether he's set to unleash new striker on Leicester City

The Foxes take on the Cottagers at Craven Cottage today (6pm) where Scott Parker's men have been boosted by the deadline day arrival of Josh Maja from Bordeaux

Fulham boss Scott Parker is keeping his cards close to his chest as to whether he's set to unleash new striker Josh Maja on Leicester City.

The two sides go head to head at Craven Cottage this evening (6pm), with the Cottagers having bolstered their attacking options with the arrival of the 22-year-old Nigeria international on loan from Bordeaux on deadline day, with a view to a £9million permanent move in the summer.

Maja said he is "excited and proud" to return to Fulham, seven years after leaving the club's academy to join Manchester City's youth set-up.

"This is a big opportunity and I look forward to meeting up with the team and working hard to achieve positive results," he told the club's website.

Parker had been vocal about his desire to bring in a striker on deadline day to provide more firepower and cover for Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Maja joined Bordeaux from Sunderland in January 2019 in a deal worth up to £3.5m, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Ligue 1 side.

He had scored 16 goals for Sunderland in League One and made the move to France having turned down the offer of a new contract with his deal up the following summer.

Maja has scored nine goals in 20 Ligue 1 starts since arriving in France.

Asked how long the striker will need before getting his opportunity, Parker said: "It's a good question and not one I can probably answer."

The player only arrived at his former club on Tuesday and Parker was keen to assess him.

"He's not played over the last three or four games so we need to see physically where he is," he said.

"Ability-wise Josh was here as young boy, he's played in English football so I don't see that as an issue. Probably more just where he is physically and we'll judge that."

Parker, meanwhile, is hoping to capitalise on any hangover the Foxes might be experiencing from their bruising 3-1 King Power defeat to Leeds United, while also building on their own run of seven draws from their previous nine Premier League outings.

"That's the next step for us and something we need to change," he said.

"We've changed a lot and that's evident in the numbers there in terms of being hard to beat. Our next challenge is to turn draws into wins, ultimately this is about winning.

"Every time we go out there, whoever we're playing we want to try and win football matches. We're giving ourselves a real chance and the fine margins have been really fine.

"Dominating in a lot of games and had some big chances to win them and we've not been on that side of it. We'll keep working and keep pushing to change that."

He added: "This is a big game for us like Leicester after a bad result against Leeds. We head into this game wanting to leave a mark on the game as well."



https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-fulham-josh-maja-4960653

WhiteJC

Teammate explains why player struggled at Fulham – Details what his new club can expect

Maxime Le Marchand has been restricted to only four appearances in all competitions for Fulham this season, which included only one start in the Premier League.

Having last featured for the Cottagers against Wolverhampton Wanderers in October, the defender was not included in a matchday squad since the start of November.

The 31-year-old wanted to change his situation, which is why he completed a loan move to Royal Antwerp on the winter deadline day.

Fulham defender Denis Odoi has an interview in today's edition of Gazet van Antwerpen and the Belgium international revealed he contacted Le Marchand after finding out Royal Antwerp made a late approach for the Frenchman.

"I didn't know Antwerp was still an option for him. Before training, Maxime was still busy with other clubs, but afterwards someone dropped Antwerp. Apparently, it was quite last minute," Odoi said about Le Marchand.

"I then messaged him and he said everything was going to be fine. He would call me back when all the arrangements were over."

Odoi also detailed what the Jupiler Pro League side can expect during his temporary stay in Antwerp.

"Max is just a good player. A clean playing defender with a super good basic technique and very good feet," he explained.

"For example, at Antwerp they already have one, a French defender who likes to play football? I recently spoke with Nill De Pauw and he spoke to me about [Jérémy] Gélin. But Maxime still has more experience than him.

"He is also strong as a leader and physically able to hold his own, but he is not the most aggressive defender. That is in his character, he is a quiet guy. But sometimes he is a bit too good, I think, also on the field.

"A three or four man defence? it doesn't matter much to Max. In a three man defence he can play both central and left central. In a four-man defence he also played at left back several times, but he is better centrally."

Odoi also gave his take on why his good friend couldn't feature a lot for Fulham in the first half of the season.

"He played a good game against Wolverhampton, but then some new players were brought in and he lost his place," Odoi added.

"But I do think he is a better player than the minutes he played would suggest. He is not a standout player, he will not speak or become a dominant figure in the dressing room. But he is a very reliable and consistent player and will be a serious reinforcement for Antwerp."



http://sportwitness.co.uk/i-messaged-him-teammate-reveals-talking-to-fulham-player-after-last-minute-approach-from-another-club/

WhiteJC

More details emerge on Fulham and Everton's transfer tussle for Josh King

Josh King was the star attraction on Monday as the transfer window drew to a close, with his departure from AFC Bournemouth being the centre of attention.

There was a lot of uncertainty over the Norwegian international's future on the south coast and whether or not he would depart in the transfer window or on a free in the summer.

It looked likely up until Sunday night that King would remain a Cherries player for the rest of the season, but in the final hours of the window a titanic tussle emerged for his signature.

Both Fulham and Everton were locked in a battle and different journalists were reporting different things, but close to the deadline it emerged that it was the Toffees who had won the race for the 29-year-old.

The Athletic have reported new details on what made King make the decision to sign for the Merseyside club instead of the Cottagers, and it looks like it was down to contract length.

According to the publication, Fulham were set to offer King a longer contract which would tie him to the club for the foreseeable future, which could have meant he ended up back in the Championship next season – somewhere where he doesn't want to be.

Everton meanwhile had a six-month deal on the table – one that expired on June 30 and one that meant King was free to talk to foreign clubs from the day he signed in regards to a pre-contract arrangement next season.

Of course that is unlikely to happen right away, but the next few weeks will be telling as to how Carlo Ancelotti sees King as part of his plans.

The Athletic also revealed that it was Everton chairman Bill Kenwright who was on the phones accelerating proceedings, making it happen whilst chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale was 'grafting' to push the deal over the line.

The Verdict

It seems like all Fulham could have done to convince King to choose them was offer a similar contract to what Everton did instead of putting a long-term deal on the table.

King's move to the Blues means that both he and Everton can assess their options come the summer, and he may even be in a stronger negotiating position if he bangs in a few goals.

Despite not scoring in the Championship this season, there's suspicions that King's head and heart may not have been fully at Dean Court since relegation and remember – this is a player who hit double figures in the 2018-19 Premier League season, so he has quality to make a difference at Goodison Park.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/more-details-emerge-on-fulham-and-evertons-transfer-tussle-for-josh-king/


WhiteJC

Our defence should give us all hope
Colm O'Donnell argues we should be excited about our upcoming Cottage double-header.


I still haven't managed to digest Saturday's game. I can't believe we didn't win. I can't believe we didn't lose. I still don't know how to feel about it. I had this niggling thought in the back of my mind at half-time that we hadn't scored enough but I didn't want to believe it. The contrast between the first half and the second half was palpable. And then, just to compound that sinking feeling, Newcastle and Brighton win games that they're not expected to, and all of a sudden we're are seven points from safety. But we are where we are, and it's time to look forward.

Up next are Leicester and West Ham, both at Craven Cottage. And in a strange way I have as much optimism about getting points from these two games as I did the previous two. We nearly got a point against the Hammers and, of course, we turned over Leicester. But mainly this optimism comes down to the strength of our defence. Brighton aside, our performances in recent months have been very good until we get to the final third of the pitch. Defensively, we have been sound, compounded by a goalkeeper who has the ability to get us out of jail should someone break through the defensive line.

Flexing for the Foxes
Our build-up play has been great to watch, but our issue has been putting the ball in the net and creating real clear-cut chances to score. As we saw earlier in the season against Leicester, Tottenham and Liverpool, when our defence performs it can deal with most attacking threats in the Premier League, so I don't see any reason to be wary of Leicester's attacking threat on Wednesday, especially without their main talisman in Jamie Vardy. Sure, they have other players who can hurt you, but Vardy is central to Leicester's attacking ambitions. If we can keep Leicester out, then who knows what will happen at the other end of the pitch.

Leicester are also coming off a bad home defeat to Leeds at the weekend, so it's a good time to get them. The first half against West Brom was a marked improvement in the final third with Fulham creating at least four clear-cut chances, but unfortunately we only converted one of them. If we can build on that first half, play to our strengths, make the ball stick up front and wait for the runs beyond the defence, we can certainly create chances against Leicester. We just need to be more clinical in taking those chances. They can't afford to spurn three gilt-edged chances like we did against the Baggies.

Hopeful against the Hammers
West Ham, on the other hand, do have a potent attacker available in Michail Antonio who has grabbed his chance after getting back in the team. He can be hit and miss though, so it all depends on which Antonio turns up on the day. Their other threat is Thomas Soucek, who has already scored against us this season and seems to have developed a great knack for arriving into the box at the perfect time and getting on the end of balls. They have been going through a great run of form recently until they came up against Liverpool at the weekend. Once Liverpool took the lead, they never looked back and it never looked like West Ham were going to get anything from the game. Again, West Ham are nothing to be afraid of and getting points from this game is all going to come down to whether we take their chances or not.

The lack of fans in stadiums have had a massive impact on certain results this season, so in no way am I counting our chickens just yet as anything can happen. It could all of a sudden click one day in front of goal and if that happens, I believe we can get a result against any team in this league. It's clicked for Sheffield United – and just look at the run they're on – against both unfancied and fancied opposition.

We're not the pushovers we were two years ago where I wasn't even looking forward to watching a match as I knew we'd have to score three or four to win a game because our defence was so leaky. We only kept two clean sheets before we were relegated in 18/19. We have four already this term – and that's a solid base for survival.

This year we can look forward to watching a game with a realistic hope that we can keep a clean sheet. If that happens in any given game, all that's needed is one break at the other end of the pitch to win a match. While my optimism is fading slightly and surviving from here is a huge task, I don't think it's impossible as long as we have the solidity at the back that we've shown so far.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-02-03-our-defence-means-we-should-all-have-hope/

WhiteJC

Fulham stopper is 'serious reinforcement for Antwerp' – set to face Rangers

Fulham defender Maxime Le Marchand has completed a loan move to Royal Antwerp and has been described as a 'serious reinforcement' for the Belgian club.

They will be Rangers opponents in the Europa League round of 32, the first leg of which is set for Thursday 18th February.

In the first half of the season, Le Marchand made just two Premier League appearances for the Craven Cottage club and did not feature in the squad since the start of November.

The 31 year-old has now gone to 'The Great Old' for game time and to assist their challenge in the Jupiler Pro League as well as the Europa League.

His Fulham team-mate Denis Odoi has spoken about the type of player that Le Marchand is, and how he is likely to fit in, at Antwerp.

"Max is just a good player. A clean playing defender with a super good basic technique and very good feet," he stated.

"For example, at Antwerp they already have one, a French defender who likes to play football? I recently spoke with Nill De Pauw and he spoke to me about (Jérémy) Gélin, but Maxime still has more experience than him."

"He is also strong as a leader and physically able to hold his own, but he is not the most aggressive defender. That is in his character, he is a quiet guy. But sometimes he is a bit too good, I think, also on the field."

Odoi also touched on the Frenchman's lack of minutes this season.

"He played a good game against Wolverhampton, but then some new players were brought in and he lost his place."

"But I do think he is a better player than the minutes he played would suggest. He is not a standout player, he will not speak or become a dominant figure in the dressing room. But he is a very reliable and consistent player and will be a serious reinforcement for Antwerp."

With only two clean sheets from their Europa League group stage earlier in the season, Le Marchand and his new side will be up against it to thwart a potent Rangers attack who managed 13 goals across the same six game stage, in their group.



https://rangers.vitalfootball.co.uk/fulham-stopper-is-serious-reinforcement-for-antwerp-set-to-face-rangers/

WhiteJC

Leicester City predicted line-up v Fulham: Three changes possible with Ricardo Pereira starting

Leicester City head to the capital hoping to bounce back after Leeds ended their nine-game unbeaten run at the weekend, and Brendan Rodgers will be forced into changes

Ricardo Pereira could make his first Premier League start in 11 months when Leicester City take on Fulham on Wednesday night.

After a cruciate ligament injury kept him out for nine months, and then a groin problem halted his comeback, Ricardo is now fit to feature, making a start in the FA Cup at Brentford, and playing an hour in the 3-1 loss to Leeds at the weekend.

With Timothy Castagne forced off with a hamstring problem in that game, Ricardo could come into the 11 at Craven Cottage on what will be his first Premier League start in an empty stadium, having last played 90 minutes in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa last March, the final game before the coronavirus pandemic postponed football.

Caglar Soyuncu could also be brought in for what would be his first Premier League start since October, with Wesley Fofana tweaking his hamstring against Leeds.

He missed a couple of months with a groin issue, and has had to wait patiently for his chance with Fofana and Jonny Evans forming a strong partnership at the back.

Elsewhere, Papy Mendy is expected to keep his place with Wilfred Ndidi still injured, but Brendan Rodgers may choose to swap around his striker and bring in Kelechi Iheanacho for Ayoze Perez.

The Spaniard has started the last two Premier League games in Jamie Vardy's absence, but his tendency to drop deep has left City without a focal point up top, and Iheanacho, a more natural frontman, may be a better option against the Cottagers.

A move to a back three could also be on the cards, with Rodgers opting for the formation at the start of the second half against Leeds.

There would not necessarily have to be any personnel changes though. James Justin could join Evans and Soyuncu in a back three with Ricardo and Marc Albrighton as wing-backs.

Predicted City line-up (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Justin; Mendy, Tielemans; Albrighton, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho.



https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-predicted-line-up-4962202


WhiteJC