The Premier League returns this weekend and Leicester City will begin their 2020/21 season with a trip to The Hawthorns to face newly promoted West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
The Foxes ended last season with a poor run of results which saw them drop out of the top four and miss out on Champions League qualification.
A fifth-place finish and a spot in this season’s Europa League would have been seen as a very successful season if you had asked any Leicester fan at the start of the campaign.
However, after being in such as strong position in third place for most of the season and with how poor Leicester’s form was post-lockdown, it may be hard for fans to see it as anything but a failure.
Injuries and suspensions to some of the side’s crucial players seemed to have played a big part in Leicester’s collapse at the end of the season, squad depth proved to be an issue for Brendan Rodgers. Something that still hasn’t been resolved with the new season on the doorstep.
City have only made one signing so far this summer, bringing in 24-year-old Timothy Castagne from Atalanta. While the Belgian is a versatile player, with the ability to play up and down both flanks, Rodgers will need more new arrivals to fix his depth problem, especially now Leicester also have to compete in Europe this year.
Some injuries and suspensions will carry over to the start of the new season, with likes of Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira and James Maddison all likely to be unavailable.
Here is how we think Leicester will line-up in their season opener:
GK: Kasper Schmeichel
Schmeichel featured in all of Leicester’s Premier League matches last season and is sure to be between the sticks throughout this year as well.
RB: James Justin
With star right-back Ricardo out of action to begin the new season, it may mean we see a lot more of Justin. The young defender put in some good performances last season, even filling in at centre-back on multiple occasions.
CB: Wes Morgan
There is a very good chance that we see the Foxes’ captain start some games in the first few fixtures, even at the age of 36 coming into the season. With Jonny Evans suspended, Rodgers apparent lack of faith in Filip Benkovic and no new central defenders being brought in. Wilfred Ndidi also has a possibility of being used in defence.
CB: Caglar Soyuncu
Soyuncu had a breakout season last campaign, making it into the PFA Team of the Year. As it stands he is also currently Leicester’s only quality option at centre-back, so should be nailed on to start.
LB: Luke Thomas
With Ben Chilwell’s departure, Timothy Castagne appears to be Rodgers replacement. This week may be too early for the Belgian to start, so Luke Thomas has a good chance of starting more Premier League games after the youngster showed signs of quality in his appearances last season.
DM: Wilfred Ndidi
If Ndidi doesn’t start in defence then we can certainly expect to see him in the midfield. The Nigerian is a vital part of the Leicester side and his incredible defensive abilities could be needed to shield an unconvincing back-line.
CM: Youri Tielemans
With Maddison possibly missing out on the start of the season, Leicester will need Tielemans at his best to create chances for the Foxes.
CM: Dennis Praet
Praet is the most likely candidate to fill in for Maddison and probably will be doing for the first couple of weeks.
RW: Ayoze Perez
The right-wing is a area that many feel Leicester will need to strengthen this window. Ayoze Perez was utilized there most of last season, but doesn’t seem to be a natural out wide, looking better when played in a more central position.
LW: Harvey Barnes
Barnes has a solid season, if he can improve on his finishing he would start to look like one of the better wingers in the league.
ST: Jamie Vardy
The Premier League golden boot winner showed he still has it at 33 years-old. He remains Leicester main man up front.