Key events
Pre-season reading. Come get it before reality starts depleting your reserves of optimism.
Ange Postecoglou’s turn for a chat with Sky. “It’s a little bit less chaotic than last year … Harry Kane left about 24 hours before the first game … so it’s fair to say we’re a little bit more settled … having said that we got off to a great start so maybe that doesn’t mean anything … whatever Spurs’ ambitions are are my ambitions … I’m certainly not here just to take part … it’s a big club … we know we haven’t had success for a long time … there’s only one way to change that … I’m really happy to get Dominic Solanke in … we were always a little bit short every week … it’s going to make an enormous difference … he’s a perfect fit for us … works hard … linking up … always in the box.”
Steve Cooper talks to Sky Sports. “Jamie Vardy came to see me a couple of days ago … he feels good and was uncomfortable we didn’t have a fully fit striker … he made himself available … you have to trust his judgement … that’s what we’ve done … the lads did brilliantly last season … to win the Championship a lot of good things have to happen … so inside the training ground it’s been really positive … a really good spirit … it’s a massive step up to the Premier League … one thing that we can do is give everything and play well … show an identity … keep the good thing going … also tailor it to what’s coming … some things might have to look a little bit different … it’s about putting a plan together.”
Jamie Vardy starts for Leicester City. Bobby Decordova-Reid and Facundo Buonanotte make their debuts. It’s too early for a sighting of former Spurs man Oliver Skipp.
Tottenham also have a debutant in their starting XI: £65m striker Dominic Solanke. Exciting new midfielders Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are on the bench. James Maddison returns to his old club for the first time since leaving for Spurs last year.
The teams
Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen, Ndidi, Winks, Fatawu, Buonanotte, De Cordova-Reid, Vardy.
Subs: Ward, Okoli, Mavididi, Choudhury, Ricardo Pereira, Soumare, Nelson, Cannon, McAteer.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Son.
Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Richarlison, Gray, Bergvall, Werner, Kulusevski, Spence, Davies.
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (Lancashire).
Preamble / Harbinger
The very first time these two clubs met in this fixture, in the FA Cup in 1914, the game ended 5-5. Since then, Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur have met another 119 times, and there’s only been one goalless draw, at White Hart Lane in 1948. The last time the teams met, at the King Power in 2023, Leicester won 4-1, payback for the 6-2 thrashing Spurs gave them a few months earlier at their place. And in 34 Premier League meetings, these clubs have shared 128 goals at an average of 3.76 per game, the highest rate in the competition’s history. So tonight’s match comes with as close to a guarantee of goals as you’re ever going to get. Don’t disappoint us by cocking a snook to history, now, chaps. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
PARISH NOTICE: In the event of the first-ever 0-0 in this fixture, apologies for jinxing it will be made just after 10pm.
