Ruud van Nistelrooy may surprise Leicester City fans by dropping 86-touch star ahead of Aston Villa clash – opinion
Leicester City set to face Aston Villa in Premier League clash on Saturday, January 4th, at 3pm.
The Foxes approach their next match on the back of a troubling stretch of form, remaining winless in their last four games.
Despite showing glimpses of promise against Manchester City, Leicester City have now conceded 12 goals in those four matches without securing a single point.
Heading into Saturday’s fixture, Leicester sit 19th in the Premier League standings, boasting the joint-worst defensive record in the division.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa, though not as consistent as during the 2024/25 campaign, are currently ninth and pursuing a spot in European competition.
Notably, two prominent pundits predict Aston Villa will defeat Leicester, with neither backing the latter to score in the encounter.
Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy faces mounting pressure, particularly as no new signings have arrived at the King Power Stadium this month.
He must rely on the current squad to reverse the club’s fortunes. One key decision he faces is whether to drop Conor Coady from the lineup against Aston Villa.
Before Van Nistelrooy’s tenure, Caleb Okoli and Wout Faes formed the primary center-back pairing under former manager Steve Cooper.
However, Van Nistelrooy replaced them with Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard.
Despite the changes, defensive issues persist, with Coady struggling in recent games.
Over his last six starts, the English defender has underperformed, with his most recent outing against Manchester City highlighting his struggles.
He failed to win a single duel or tackle, earning the lowest rating in Leicester’s starting eleven, per Sofascore.
Coady was eventually substituted in the 85th minute for Okoli.
Given these struggles, Van Nistelrooy may consider omitting Coady from the starting lineup today.
While this decision could surprise fans, it might be necessary to stabilize the defense.
Wout Faes, who endured a challenging first half of the 2024/25 season, could make his return to the squad.
The Belgian defender has missed several games due to injury, but Van Nistelrooy offered a positive update during his recent press conference.
He revealed that Faes has resumed individual training and is set to join team sessions, raising hopes of his involvement against Aston Villa.
The manager also confirmed that Jordan Ayew, available after suspension, could feature in the lineup.
Van Nistelrooy stated: “We’re looking to have Jordan Ayew back after suspension.
Wout Faes has been in training individually so far but will be part of team training from today onwards, so we’ll see how he continues his progress. These two will hopefully return to the team.”
