The EnglishPremierLeague resumes back again this weekend in its second matchweek providing us with some really entertaining quality clashes to witness. A full-packed stadium roars from the crowd, a competitive game of football from both teams is what we all expect to happen in the PL. With all the elements of excitement intact, we are heading towards yet another important clash of the week. Westham welcomes Leicester City at the London Stadium for the curtain closing match of the gameweek 2 of the PL. Two of the top clubs will be squaring off against each other aiming to maintain a perfect start to the season. It remains to be seen which of these two sides can come out on top in this juicy contest. Can Leicester continue to fly high or will Westham put an end to their winning streak?
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Why watch out for
There can certainly be no reasons in the world that can stop you from watching a high-voltage premier league game. Usually, even non-football fans get attracted to the competitiveness of the PL and fall for it. When last season’s two EuropaLeague potholders are squaring off against each other, you don’t need any reason to watch it. Leicester would be aiming to continue on their last season’s success and try to finish in the top four. Last year, they dramatically fell out of the top four after remaining winless in five of the last six matches. This time they would definitely want to finish inside the top four and play in the UCL.
On a similar note, West Ham missed out on champions league football last time after bottling just like Leicester. They were inside the top four for larger parts of the season and have to blame themselves only for not securing it. They have a quality squad that is capable of stunning any big team on their day. Frankly speaking, it will be a great match to watch for the PL viewers. Can Leicester take revenge for their double loss to Westham last season or will the Hammers bag this one too? Stay tuned to see what happens. The match is scheduled to get kicked off at 00:30 IST or 19;00 GMT.
West Ham United
The Hammers are coming onto this match after hammering NewcastleUnited in their own backyard in the opening matchweek of PL. They will be playing their first home game of the season in front of home fans. Against Newcastle, A brilliant display from Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio sealed a convincing 4-2 win for the London side. Antonio and Benrahma scored one and set up another as also Cresswell and Soucek scored to ensure the win. They had the lion’s share of the possession in the match and also registered 18 shots(.9 on target) at the goal.
It was a dominant display from Moyes’s men who were offensively very sound. But a few loopholes were noticed in the defense and that defensive errors led to conceding silly goals. Moyes would focus on this ahead of the crucial game versus Leicester. They had the momentum carrying from the pre-season and wouldn’t want to lose it so early. It remains to be seen who comes out on top in this even-stevens contest of the two premier league teams.
Team News
There are no major injury concerns in the West Ham camp right now, with coach David Moyes confirming everyone’s availability. The only absentee will be Arthur Masuaku who is nursing a niggle still now after undergoing knee surgery last season. Other than him, Moyes has a fully fit squad to choose his starting XI.
Key Players for West Ham United for this clash
Michail Antonio
Antonio has been the go-to man for Westham whenever it comes to the matter of providing goals to the team. His prolific form is one of the most important cause why they were able to finish 6th last season. He also started the 2021-22 edition with a bang registering 1 goal and 1 assist in the opening match. He will look to increase his goal tally when the Hammers host Leicester tonight.
Tomas Soucek
The Czech is the undisputed king of the midfield and is one of the best holding midfielders in the PL now. He just builds a good balance between defense and attack and controls the midfield wholly. He was one of the most standout performers in the Westham team last season too, with about 11 goal contributions. The duel of Rice and Soucek with Ndidi and Tielemans could well decide the fate of the game. Soucek will have to play an important role if west ham are to win against the foxes.
Leicester City
The Foxes are traveling to London to face Westham after edging out Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in gameweek 1 at home. They had a Very comprehensive win which would sum up their performance to date before coming to the Westham game. A Jamie Vardy goal from Ricardo Pereira’s assists proved to be the decisive one in the match. They maintained about 57% possession of the ball and took a total of 11 shots at the goal. In all, it was a very satisfactory day at the office for the Leicester players. Their defense was too compact to let wolves score a goal even. Rodgers knows that he’ll have a big task in hand to make the best out of the player Vs Westham.
The Hammers are always a tough nut to track for Leicester. But the Foxes have been flying high this year after winning both the FA cup and the community shield. Undoubtedly, it will be a major feather in the cap for a club that has started to challenge the elites so recently. Defeating the likes of City in the Community shield final would definitely increase their confidence for the new season. Let’s watch if the newly crowned community shield champions get the better of the Londoners or not.
Team News
The Blues are traveling to London with a few injury cases in their camp. Wesley Fofana was ruled out for a long after suffering a heavy injury in the Pre-season. Ryan Bertrand will sit out of this clash after testing positive for COVID-19. Jonny Evans Hasn’t come out of his foot injury yet and James Justin is also sidelined too. James Maddison picked up a knock against Wolves but would be available in this match most probably. Apart from these, there are no withdrawals till now.
Key players for Leicester City for this clash
Jamie Vardy
The Englishman has been a key and consistent figure for the Foxes over the years and has been a vital cog in their lineup ever since. Last year too, he finished as their top scorer. He has made a blistering start to the new season by scoring the winner against Wolves and playing nicely. Against Westham, Rodgers would want him to provide the team with the much-needed goals upfront.
James Maddison
Another Briton, Maddison was one of the best playmakers in the Premier League last season. He is the main man behind Leicester’s so much creativity in the attacking third. Nevertheless, he builds up attacks and creates a lot of chances with him contributing to the cause also. If he can remain injury-free in the whole season, he will be an invaluable asset to his team. Having 11 goals and 8 assists in only 30 starts last year is mind-blowing. If Leicester is to win tomorrow, he has to be on the top of his form.
Conclusion
From all aspects, this match is going to be quite enticing and enthralling for the football fanatics. Both the teams will fight all it out to grab their second win of the season. And a very eventful and entertaining game is scheduled at the London Stadium tonight. Expect a fierce encounter to take place between the two sides. We hope that the best team might get to win this!
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