Yahoo News Leicester City team news v Walsall as Odsonne Edouard decision made amid 10 changes
Odsonne Edouard has been handed his first Leicester City start with Steve Cooper making 10 changes to the team to face Walsall.
Deadline-day signing Edouard made his debut as a substitute for Jamie Vardy in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton, but now gets his chance to lead the line. He plays in a much-changed City side.
The only player to remain in the team is centre-back Caleb Okoli, who partners Conor Coady in the centre of defence, the England international making his first start of the season. It means there’s no place for Jannik Vestergaard in the team again, one of last year’s star players having not featured since the second week of the campaign.
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Goalkeeper Danny Ward and full-backs Ricardo Pereira and Luke Thomas, who all started in the last round, come into the team. Much has been made of Ricardo’s absence, but Cooper says he thinks highly of the Portuguese and has made him captain again, as he did against Tranmere.
In midfield, Boubakary Soumare makes his first start since the final game of the relegation campaign in May 2023. Hamza Choudhury plays alongside him.
Facundo Buonanotte plays in the number 10 role behind Edouard, while they will be supported from wide by Abdul Fatawu and Bobby De Cordova-Reid. The two wingers are both looking for their first goals of the season.
City (4-2-3-1): Ward; Ricardo, Coady, Okoli, Thomas; Choudhury, Soumare; Fatawu, Buonanotte, De Cordova-Reid; Edouard. Subs: Iversen, Justin, Faes, Skipp, Golding, Alves, El Khannouss, McAteer, Ayew.
