HomeFeatured ArticlesLeicester City vs Tottenham Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

Leicester City vs Tottenham Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

This is one of the few matches where both teams have something to play for on the final day. Leicester City will be desperate to move back into the top four, as they are under threat of missing out on Champions League at the final stage of the season for the second year running. Meanwhile, Tottenham are currently in 7th position, which will be good enough to earn qualification for the Europa Conference League. Although they won’t want to be in that competition, they still have an outside chance of finishing sixth, which will be good enough for the Europa League. Both teams need a win and a favour from another team.

It has been a week of contrasting emotions for Leicester City. Last weekend, there were great scenes at Wembley as they lifted the FA Cup for the first time in their history. They then followed that up with a defeat in their big match against Chelsea, which resulted in them dropping from third to fifth. Supporters wouldn’t trade the FA Cup win for a Premier League victory over Chelsea, but it will be disappointing to miss out on Champions League for the second season running. They have spent the majority of the last two seasons in those positions, which shows their quality. However, they are relying on Crystal Palace or Aston Villa to do them a favour.

Tottenham are approaching their biggest summer in recent history. Ryan Mason won’t be given the job permanently, which means they need to appoint a new head coach capable of improving the style of play and results. This week, it has been leaked that Harry Kane will be looking to leave the club this summer. Although he has three years left on his contract, the England captain sees his future elsewhere and this could be one of his last chances to attract interest from the very best clubs in Europe. Daniel Levy won’t be an easy seller, but it might be the best move for the club as it will bring in the money to refund their own rebuild.

Interesting stats

Marc Albrighton made his 200th Premier League appearance for Leicester in the week. He became the third to reach that landmark for the Foxes and three of them (Albrighton, Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy) are current squad members.

Tottenham are the only Premier League team that have had two players reach ten goals and ten assists this season in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Key men

Iheanacho

It feels like a big occasion for Kelechi Iheanacho, as he is the biggest goal threat for Leicester currently. During the week, he was dropped from the starting eleven, but Brendan Rodgers won’t make the same mistake on Sunday. His side only started to carry a real threat once he brought the Nigerian onto the pitch and it wasn’t a surprise to see him score the goal that got them back into the game. Jamie Vardy is a Leicester and Premier League legend, but he hasn’t carried the same goal threat in the latter stage of the campaign, with fatigue likely a factor. The former Manchester City forward has 12 Premier League goals this season, at a rate of one every 114 minutes. Tottenham haven’t been reliable at the back under Mason and they won’t have the same motivation to win as Leicester. The home side should have plenty of chances and Iheanacho could play a starring role on the final day.

Son

The South Korean has had an exceptional season. The talk has focused on Harry Kane’s future, but Son Heung-min has just two years left on his contract this summer. There could well be interest in his services, as he has proven to be one of the most consistent forwards in the Premier League for several years. This is his most productive season in the final third and the second successive campaign he has reached ten in goals and assists. The 28-year-old has 17 goals and 10 assists, with a goal involvement every 112.4 minutes. Only Hugo Lloris and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have played more minutes than the South Korean, which is impressive considering the amount of matches Tottenham have had to play in this relentless season. In recent weeks, Leicester have struggled against quick players that like to be direct. The focus will be on Kane’s race to win the golden boot, but it could be Son that causes Leicester the most problems.

Team news

Cengiz Under is a doubt, but he would be unlikely to feature anyway. Iheanacho should be recalled following his goal from the bench against Chelsea. Jonny Evans, Harvey Barnes and James Justin won’t be back until next season.

Japhet Tanganga and Ben Davies won’t be back to feature in the final match. Gareth Bale will be hoping to be recalled, as this could be his final match for Tottenham.

Verdict

The recent performances of Tottenham give little hope that they will spring a surprise on Sunday. They will hope they can finish in the top six and claim a Europa League place to salvage their season, but it looks to be unlikely. A victory may not be enough for Leicester, but they have the quality and confidence to overcome a Spurs team that desperately needs the season to end.

Leicester City 3-0 Tottenham

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