Preview

 

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Pre-Season Friendlies clash between Wycombe Wanderers and Leicester City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Leicester City play just their second fixture of pre-season when they make the trip to Wycombe Wanderers on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the home side are facing league opposition for just the second time this month, their previous outing coming at Stevenage.

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Match preview

On the back of a relentless 2020-21 campaign, Brendan Rodgers was in no rush to get Leicester's pre-season schedule underway with another spot in the Europa League having been secured.

The Foxes have the added bonus of a Community Shield date with Manchester City, an opportunity for silverware given that the top-flight champions will have less minutes under their belts.

That said, Rodgers is focused on trying to get his own players up to speed after they could only post a goalless draw at Burton Albion before losing in a penalty shootout.

Rodgers took the decision to name two different sides for each half, and he will be satisfied with the workout ahead of bigger tests over the coming weeks.

Nevertheless, while Queens Park Rangers, Villarreal and City represent continual improvements in quality, there will be a demand for goals and another clean sheet at Adams Park.

Wycombe's only pre-season test against EFL opposition came on July 19 as they recorded a narrow victory over Stevenage in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

Gareth Ainsworth took the opportunity to use four trialists, highlighting where the club currently stand in terms of their preparations for the new season.

While the additions of Josh Scowen and Sullay Kaikai could prove key in the race for promotion, Ainsworth still needs to find a replacement for Uche Ikpeazu.

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Team News

Rodgers may take a similar approach to that of the last match, using separate XIs for each half against the third-tier club.

However, having been used in the weaker team at the weekend, Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy could be drafted into the more senior side.

Ryan Bertrand, Boubakary Soumare and Patson Daka are all expected to make their second outings after their summer transfers, but Kasper Schmeichel and Youri Tielemans are likely to remain absent.

Ainsworth could show preference to naming his strongest lineup for this game with any trialists being restricted to an appearance off the Wycombe substitutes' bench.

Jack Grimmer, Jason McCarthy and Daryl Horgan could all be involved from the opening whistle.

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Head To Head

These two sides have previously met on just two occasions, with both games taking place since the turn of the millennium.

Wycombe famously won in the FA Cup at Filbert Street in 2001, but the Foxes prevailed in a low-key EFL Cup tie 12 years later.

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We say: Wycombe Wanderers 0-3 Leicester City

With the majority of their first-team squad now available for selection, we expect Leicester to show their true colours on Wednesday.

Wycombe may fend off the Premier League side for a period, but the Foxes should cruise to victory at Adams Park.

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