Leicester City vs West Ham United

Bottom-table Premier League strugglers Leicester City and West Ham United are set to lock horns in a high-stakes midweek clash at the King Power Stadium.

Ex-Manchester United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has a lot on his plate as he prepares for his touchline debut at the King Power after watching Leicester City thumped 4-1 by Brentford last weekend. Caretaker manager Ben Dawson makes way for the famous Dutchman, whose first task is to halt Leicester’s disappointing Premier League stretch (D1, L4) and help them find a way out of a severe crisis. The Foxes are on a lower points haul than their last relegation season, but they commence this round a point clear of 18th-placed Wolverhampton. They had won one home league fixture this term under sacked manager Steve Cooper (W1, D2, L3) but, curiously, remain one of only five teams to have scored in every home league outing thus far.

Meanwhile, spirits around the West Ham camp soared following a 2-0 win at Newcastle United immediately after the international break, only for Arsenal to thrash the Hammers 5-2 in last weekend’s London derby, heightening the pressure on Julen Lopetegui. The Spaniard is among the leading candidates to be relieved of his duties in the Premier League amid the club’s hugely disappointing top-flight start (W4, D3, L6). Furthermore, the visitors have only won once in their last four league matches (W1, D1, L2), casting doubt on their hopes of stringing together a first set of back-to-back away wins in the Premier League since December 2023. Having conceded an average of two goals per match across their last four league visits to Leicester (W1, D1, L2), they don’t look in good shape to achieve that feat.