Leicester City vs Spurs | Form guide - how have the Foxes fared in pre-season?
Sat 17 August 2024, 12:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Leicester City step back into the Premier League arena for the 2024/25 opener against us on Monday evening (8pm UK) on the back of three successive losses in pre-season.
Narrow 1-0 defeats against Italian Serie B side Palermo at Chesterfield on 26 July and Augsburg of the Bundesliga at the Illerstadion, Kempten on 3 August were followed by a 3-0 reverse against RC Lens in France on Saturday, where a shot count of 17-2 in the Ligue 1 team's favour told the story. It's worth noting, however, that Leicester lost their final pre-season match of last summer 4-0 against Liverpool before securing the Championship title in 2023/24.
New boss Steve Cooper - the former Swansea and Forest manager brought in to replace Chelsea bound Enzo Maresca in June - gave his verdict after that loss. “In terms of the performance, there was nothing good about our in-possession game. There was no doubt about that. The game demanded a much more intense in-possession game than what we gave.”
Foxes in pre-season
20 July vs Villarreal (N) - 2-1 (Vardy, Mavididi)
23 July vs Shrewsbury (A) 2-1 (Mavididi, McAteer)
26 July vs Palermo (N) - 0-1
3 August vs Augsburg (A) - 0-1
10 August vs RC Lens (A) - 0-3
Familiar Foxes faces including our former Academy graduate, Harry Winks, James Justin, Wilfred Ndidi, Hamza Choudhury, Patson Daka and new arrival from Fulham, Bobby De Cordova-Reid all lined-up against RC Lens. They were joined by summer signings Abdul Fatawu (from Sporting) and Caleb Okoli (Atalanta). Facundo Buonanotte, snapped up on loan from Brighton, arrived last weekend.
Familiar faces have also moved on, not least Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea, Kelechi Iheanacho (Sevilla), Harry Souttar (Sheffield United, loan) and long-serving wide man Marc Albrighton, who has been released.
As we return to the KP Stadium for the first time since February, 2023, it's worth noting, in terms of form, that Leicester picked up 17 wins in 23 home matches in their Championship success last term, with just one draw and five defeats. They conceded 18 goals in those 23 home matches. Having won 13 of their first 14 games, Leicester clinched the title with a game to spare despite a comparatively late wobble of three losses in their last six.
