MATCH RESCHEDULED: ‘New’ kick-off time for Leicester City vs. West Ham, prediction, team news, lineups.
The Ruud van Nistelrooy era at the King Power Stadium commences on Tuesday evening,
when Leicester City host fellow bottom-half battlers West Ham United in the Premier League.
Both sides have weekend wrongs to right on December 3, as the Foxes
were pummelled 4-1 by Brentford on Saturday, a couple of hours before
Julen Lopetegui’s side were on the wrong end of a 5-2 scoreline versus Arsenal.
Watching on from the comfort of the stands alongside Leicester chairman
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Van Nistelrooy – who was confirmed as
Steve Cooper’s replacement on a three-year contract on Friday – was given
plenty to ponder as he witnessed the Foxes fumble a one-goal lead at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Facundo Buonanotte’s fourth goal of the Premier League season briefly silenced the
Brentford contingent, but the Bees proved that their sting remains as potent as ever at their headquarters,
where glistening German Kevin Schade set up Yoane Wissa before registering his first-ever senior career hat-trick.
Saturday’s comprehensive defeat under the management of Ben Dawson represented a
third straight loss for a leaky Leicester, who had previously been conquered by
Chelsea and Van Nistelrooy’s Manchester United during the last weeks of Cooper’s reign,
dismal results that have contributed to their 16th-placed ranking in the Premier League table.
The 2015-16 top-flight champions only have a one-point buffer over all of Wolverhampton Wanderers,
Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town with a third of the season gone, and for all of
Van Nistelrooy’s offensive talent during his playing heyday, shoring up Leicester’s fragile backline must be priority number one.
Indeed, the Foxes have now conceded at least three goals in four of their previous
six matches in all competitions, although the King Power faithful almost always have something to cheer;
Tuesday’s hosts have scored in all seven of their home matches in all
competitions so far this season, albeit netting just once in six of those contests.
Last season’s six-goal shellacking at the hands of Arsenal would ostensibly be the
lowest London derby ebb that West Ham could suffer, but the Irons were on course
to suffer an even more humiliating beatdown on Saturday, when Mikel Arteta’s men hit four inside the opening 36 minutes.
Two quickfire strikes from full-back pair Aaron Wan-Bissaka and
Emerson Palmieri ensured that West Ham would avoid that same 6-0 fate as they
momentarily gave rise to an unbelievable comeback, which was immediately stopped in its tracks when Bukayo Saka stroked home Arsenal’s second penalty of the evening.
A record-equalling seven-goal first half preceded a scoreless second at the London Stadium,
which suited Arsenal down the ground but triggered the early exits of hundreds of
Hammers supporters as their side’s two-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end.
When the Irons are beaten, they are beaten to a pulp – each of their last five
defeats have been by at least three goals – and Lopetegui’s position remains under
serious threat while the 14th-placed Hammers languish perilously close to the danger zone.
Inspiration can be taken from West Ham’s last successful away day at Newcastle United,
but Leicester did the double over the former Conference League champions during the
2022-23 campaign, following up a 2-0 away win with a 2-1 home success before falling through the trap door.
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