Vardy fitness crucial for Leicester´s Premier League survival, says Cooper

Steve Cooper insisted that keeping veteran striker Jamie Vardy fit throughout the season would be vital in confirming their Premier League status for another year.

Vardy netted the Foxes’ equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night, scoring his ninth goal against Spurs and his 137th in the competition.

While their talisman is coming to the end of his Leicester career and is the oldest player in the squad by five years, Cooper said his influence on the side is crucial.

“Jamie doesn’t need any special words from me on his capabilities and impact he can have and the talent he has around the box,” Cooper said.

“Keeping him fresh for games is going to be important. He is an older player now at his age. As they get older, they understand their bodies well and know what is needed to prepare for games.

“It is important we work with him collaboratively to get him ready for games. He really enjoys the games and what it takes to get ready for games, and we have to respect that.”

Nobody will remember:
-your salary
-how busy you were
-how many hours you worked

People will remember: pic.twitter.com/0vr7oK4vTc

— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 21, 2024

Fulham started the new season by falling to a late defeat at the hands of Manchester United, with new signing Joshua Zirkzee striking late for the hosts.

It marked the Cottagers’ first defeat starting a season away from home since the 2008-09 campaign, but there were positives to take for head coach Marco Silva.

Fulham registered 10 shots, with only two on target, as Silva recognised that his players must take a more precautionary approach to their first home game.

“When I see our players with some free kicks, trying to rush all the decisions, even with the players on the grass trying to do it quickly, we should have much more balance in decisions, to have longer moments in possession,” Silva said.

“Because the pressure from Man United at that moment was not there any more. We should have longer possession to create the moments, but we started to lose the ball too quickly.

“And then at the last minute, they scored in one moment that the game was completely broken.”

Saturday. 3pm. The Cottage.

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 20, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham – Andreas Pereira

Despite losing their opening game against Manchester United, Andreas Pereira put on a strong showing against his former employers.

Pereira created more chances than any other Premier League player in the opening round of fixtures (six), while also playing the most passes into the final third (16) than any other Fulham player last Friday.

It’s the 19th time on record a Fulham player has created six or more chances in a top-flight match, with the Brazilian responsible for seven of those.

Leicester – Abdul Fatawu

Leicester enjoyed a much better result upon their return to the Premier League, with one of the standout figures from their Championship success, Abdul Fatawu, starring for the Foxes.

No Premier League player won more duels on matchday one than Fatawu (13), while he also led all Foxes players in successful dribbles (three), possession won (eight) and tackles (six).

MATCH PREDICTION: FULHAM WIN

Fulham will be hoping to return to winning ways on home soil. They have only started a season with consecutive defeats in just two of their 17 previous Premier League campaigns (2018-19 and 2020-21).

The Cottagers won both Premier League meetings with Leicester the last time the sides met in 2022-23, last winning three consecutive league games against the Foxes between 1966 and 1967.

However, Fulham haven’t won their first home match in any of their last five Premier League campaigns (D1 L4), since a 5-0 win against Norwich City in 2012-13.

For Leicester, they will be looking to carry their away form from the Championship into the Premier League.

No side in the top four tiers of English football won more away league games than Leicester last season (14). The Foxes won each of their first seven away games in the Championship last term, winning the same amount in their final 16 on the road (D3 L6).

Foxes boss Cooper, however, has lost six of his seven meetings with Fulham in all competitions, though his one and only success did come at Craven Cottage (1-0 in April 2022). He’s lost all three Premier League games against the Cottagers by an aggregate score of 10-2.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Fulham – 51.5%

Draw – 24.3%

Leicester – 24.1%