Tough game for Saints but they really do need to win this one to get some faith back into the fanbase and kick start the season.
In many respects outside of playing one of the big 6 Saints could not have had a tougher start that the two opening fixtures they have had, although only 1 point was gained from those fixtures there were mitigating circumstances in both.
Now though hopefull Mark Hughes is at the crucial moment where he knows his best team, has an injury free squad to choose from and now has to put it all into practice and make it work.
If we can beat Leicester then we have a solid start behind us, anything less and questions will start to be asked.
The key will firstly be having Jannik Vestergaard back in defence, in the opening game he formed a good partnership with Wesley Hoedt and we kept a clean sheet, at Everton we were all at sea at the back, but we can't judge this season on that display, it was the same issues as last season, we have to judge the Vestrgaard/Hoedt partnership on its merits after several games not just one.
In central midfield it will be more difficult Hughes has plenty of options yet can't seem to decide, I would expect Stuart Armstrong to start and I would also like to see Pierre Emile Hojbjerg alongside him, but after that it's not so easy, Lemina has not been consistent, he really shouldbe our best player, but his flaw is that he is very hit and miss either absolutely brilliant or rubbish, Romeu hasn't quite hit the heights of a couple of years ago yer, for me I would stick with Lemina.
Out wide I would go with Nathan Redmond with Moi Elyounoussi on the other side and play Danny Ings up front.
This would be a solid 4-3-2-1 with an attacking set up, Ings unlike eitherAustin or Gabbiadini has the right combination of height strength and pace to play as the loan striker.
The key is get the ball down and earn the right to play, then build on the foundation and win the game, if it doesn't work out then we have plenty of options on the bench to change the game.
But mark Hughes has to get the basis of it right first time, he can't keep getting the starting line up wrong as he has done in the last two games, he has to get it right from the off, we need to make substitutions so that we can stretch the opposition, not because we ourselves are all at sea.
So my side would be
McCarthy
Cedric, Hoedt, Vestrgaard, Bertrand
Elyounoussi, Lemina, Hojbjerg , Armstrong, Redmond
Ings
Subs
Gunn, Bednarek, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Gabbiadini, Austin, Long
An attacking bench, but we have to win the game and the three attackers give us that right balance with the option of the scoring knack of Austin and Gabbiadini and the work rate of Long if we need to close the game out.