Steve Cooper will set Leicester City up to fail if he does not do one key thing for Everton clash
Steve Cooper has the biggest game of his short spell in charge of Leicester City on Saturday as Everton arrive at the King Power.
Leicester City are yet to win under Steve Cooper in the Premier League and gave up a 2-0 lead to draw against Crystal Palace last time out.
Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi were on target for the Foxes at Selhurst Park before a Jean-Philippe Mateta brace denied Cooper a first league victory of the campaign.
Next up is a potential relegation six-pointer as Leicester welcome Everton to the King Power, with the Toffees not only winless but bottom of the Premier League without a single point.
This game is firmly in the ‘must win’ category and Cooper should make one change to his side to boost Leicester’s chances of victory.
Facundo Buonanotte must start for Leicester City vs Everton
Cooper has now seen his side draw against Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, with 2-1 defeats to both Fulham and Aston Villa in the league.
The biggest positive is that Leicester have been competitive in each of their fixtures so far, but they must now take a risk to get that elusive first league win of Cooper’s rein.
This should see Cooper bring Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte into the starting XI to provide the creative spark and help Leicester take the game to an Everton side lacking in confidence.
Buonanotte has been impressive since joining in the summer with his neat dribbling ability combined with his eye for a pass and also showed his eye for goal with a strike against Villa.
The attacking midfielder has not started the last two games as Cooper has looked to beef up the midfield by playing a trio of Oliver Skipp, Harry Winks and Wilfred Ndidi, but the defence-minded trio would show a real lack of ambition against Everton.
Jamie Vardy should thrive with Buonanotte in Leicester side
Vardy is still the main man for Leicester even at 37 and has scored in both the club’s draws this season.
The veteran striker has so far fed off scraps since a return to the Premier League but the return of Buonanotte could see chances come more regularly for Vardy.
Buonanotte’s first thought is always forward and he will look to slip balls through for Vardy to run onto against a slow Everton backline.
Everton will set up to be difficult to beat, so it is up to Leicester to take the initiative and Cooper can do this by adding the creative spark of Buonanotte from the start.
Without this, it could be a frustrating afternoon, with Skipp, Winks and Ndidi lacking the guile to unlock a stubborn defence.
The match officials for Leicester City vs Everton have been confirmed for this weekend’s game.
Both teams are looking to get their first win of the season after difficult starts to their Premier League campaign.
