Julen Lopetegui will be desperate to beat Leicester City on Tuesday night to try and save his West Ham United slavery.
The Spaniard has once again come under increasing pressure after yet another defeat at the weekend, this time in embarrassing fashion to Arsenal once again in London.
The Hammers were thumped 6-0 by Mikel Arteta’s side last season before slumping to a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Gunners on Saturday night, with the visitors scoring four in just 36 first-half minutes.
However, tonight’s clash against newly promoted Leicester, with boss Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge of his first game, gives them a real chance to get 2024/25 off to a flying start. Premier League campaign.
The Foxes is winless in five league gameslosing four of them, leading to the sacking of Steve Cooper, giving Lopetegui a chance to return to winning ways.
West Ham’s record against Leicester City
The meeting at the King Power Stadium tonight is 16th and 14th, with both sides in desperate need of points to move away from any looming relegation fears.
However, the last two games against the Foxes do not bode well for West Ham, who failed to win each of the last three matches against the East Midlands outfit.
The two sides last met in May 2023, the season in which the hosts suffered relegation but managed to secure a 2-1 victory on the final day after goals from Harvey Barnes and Wout Faes.
Leicester’s win at home saw them claim a league double over the Irons, following a 2-0 win at the London Stadium six months ago, thanks to goals from that man Barnes and midfielder James Maddison.
However, neither of the latter two players now ply their trade for Van Nistelrooy’s side, leaving after the drop to the Championship, but the task at hand remains just as difficult with West Ham failing to win at the King Power since 2020.
Undoubtedly, given the state both clubs find themselves in at the moment, the meeting will be a cagey affair as both sides look to claim three valuable points to get their respective campaigns back on track.
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West Ham’s last five PL meetings with Leicester City |
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|---|---|---|
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Date |
Score line |
Result |
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28/05/2023 |
2-1 |
Loss |
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11/12/2022 |
2-0 |
Loss |
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13/02/2022 |
2-2 |
Draw |
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23/08/2021 |
4-1 |
Win |
|
11/04/2021 |
3-2 |
Win |
If Lopetegui is to claim just a third league away win of the season, he needs to unleash a player worthy of a recall to the starting line-up.
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How West Ham can stop Leicester’s answer to Saka
Bucayo Saka dismantled West Ham in East London on Saturday night, scoring one goal and two assists during the 74-minute display, causing more pain for the Hammers boss.
However, tonight, he will face a similar situation in the form of Argentina striker Facundo Buonanotte, who has been impressive despite his poor form in recent weeks.
The 19-year-old, who is currently on loan from Brighton, has scored four and dished out two assists in his 11 Premier League outings – having a threat that certainly needs to be neutralized.
Lopetegui can do that with the recall Edson Alvarez in the starting line-up in the East Midlands this afternoon after his impressive performance off the bench at the weekend.
The Mexican missed the meetings with Newcastle United and Everton after picking up his second red card of the season in the 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at the start of November.
However, he came off the bench against Arsenal on Saturday, putting in some impressive displays despite the embarrassing defeat to the title challengers.
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Edson Alvarez’s stats for West Ham v Arsenal |
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|---|---|
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Statistics |
Account |
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Minutes played |
45 |
|
touches |
29 |
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Passages completed |
17/18 (94%) |
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The dribbles are complete |
1/1 (100%) |
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It goes to the last third |
5 |
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They won the tackles |
1/2 (50%) |
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Defensive actions |
3 |
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Statistics via FotMob |
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the “impressiveThe midfielder, as dubbed by performance analyst Marcus Bring, completed all but one of his attempted passes after being brought on – achieving the highest pass completion rate any player who played for 45 minutes or more.
He also won five tackles and completed three defensive actions as he tightened up the midfield after a dismal first-half display at the London Stadium.
There is no doubt that he is a player who can often lose his head, as evidenced by his two dismissals, but he has serious qualities that could help Lopetegui’s hopes of saving his job.
The meeting will be a huge game for both sides, but if the Spaniard is to claim all three points, he simply needs to unleash the former Ajax ace to give himself the best chance of coming out on top in the East Midlands .
