Wayne Rooney secured just his second win as the Birmingham City boss against Cardiff City last time around. The Manchester United legend will now hope to push on and put together a string of positive results.
The Blues will face few tougher challenges than the Foxes this season, and this Monday’s result should give us an idea of where both the sides might end up come the end of the season standings. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how these two sides will line up and what tactics they might employ.
Wayne Rooney will be glad to secure a win and will now hope to put on a series of positive results for his side. The Manchester United legend is still earning his stripes as a manager and has much to prove if he is to make it big on the sidelines.
Birmingham are more likely to challenge for a spot in the relegation dogfight rather than sneak into the playoff contention unless their results pick up. A positive result over Leicester City will certainly boost morale in the Birmingham City camp and perhaps provide the Blues with the inspiration to turn their campaign around.
However, injuries to key players could influence Rooney’s selection on the night. George Hall, Tyler Roberts, Keshi Anderson, Alfie Chang, Ethan Laird, Cody Drameh and Kevin Long are all nursing knocks and are unavailable for the night.
Rooney is likely to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation on the night, with John Ruddy in goal. The veteran goalkeeper is likely to be protected by the quartet of Emanuel Aiwu, Marc Roberts, Dion Sanderson and Lee Buchanan.
Krystian Bielik and Ivan Sunjic should reprise their roles as the double pivot, aiming to stifle the Leicester midfield and set the pace of the game. Siriki Dembele and Juninho Bacuna should provide the width, with Jordan James donning the number ten’s role. Jay Stansfield should start up front and will act as the will the focal point of Birmingham’s attack on the night.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ruddy; Aiwu, Roberts, Sanderson, Buchanan; Bielik, Sunjic; Dembele, James, Bacuna, Stansfield
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