Predicting the Leicester City lineup vs West Bromwich Albion

UPDATE: I was very wrong about some things

The start of the Premier League season is upon us and Leicester City will kick off their campaign against West Brom on Sunday.

Unlike in previous seasons, the Foxes head into the opener with plenty of questions around who will feature regularly in the starting XI, and that’s before any transfer activity left to come.

While Brendan Rodgers may still opt for the back 5 system he preferred at the end of last season, my best guess is that they’ll stick with the 4-1-4-1 that’s been deployed through all three preseason games.

GK: Kasper Schmeichel - some of these are still quite easy.

RB: Timothy Castagne - the Belgian may be this year’s plan at LB, but he’s also just arrived, in a weird shortened preseason, and I think they’ll keep him where he’s more comfortable to begin with.

CB: Filip Benkovic - if Morgan is fit, he’ll play. We still haven’t heard about that though, and it’s been nearly two weeks since he went for a “precautionary” scan.

CB: Caglar Soyuncu - hard to be more certain than I am of this one. We’ll be relying on him.

LB: James Justin - unlike Castagne, JJ does have experience of playing on the left with this team so I think he’ll be over there for now.

DM: Wilfred Ndidi - there’s been talk of Wilf stepping in at CB. I just don’t see the value in moving our best player out of his position.

RM: Ayoze Perez - this shape will never get the most from him, but Perez is still the best option we have here, especially with a RB looking to go by on the outside.

CM: Youri Tielemans - With no Maddison, a lot of the creative responsibility will fall on Youri.

CM: Dennis Praet - completing our Belgian trio, Praet showed last year that he can be relied upon for solid midfield performances.

LM: Harvey Barnes - in a team missing its two best build up performers, the Foxes will look for someone who can create a goal from nothing. That’s Barnes.

ST: Jamie Vardy - the reigning golden boot will start, I think that’s a safe enough bet.

Fantasy Impact

The Baggies have struggled to create in preseason and will likely come out with a defensive approach, so there’s a good chance that the Foxes can at least hold out for a clean sheet. James Justin is going to play week in, week out for the moment and is a steal at 4.5