Leicester City predicted line-up v PSV Eindhoven: Brendan Rodgers hints at midfield selection

Brendan Rodgers could turn to Youri Tielemans again to fill the deep-lying midfield role for Leicester City’s decisive Europa Conference League clash with PSV Eindhoven.

With Wilfred Ndidi out for the season with a knee issue and Papy Mendy ineligible to play in Europe after he was left off the squad list, Rodgers has had to have a rethink in his midfield for the quarter-final.

In the first leg, he opted for Tielemans behind Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Maddison, and having felt the Belgian did a good job in the position, he may look to use him there when City line up at Philips Stadion on Thursday evening.

In truth, Rodgers does not have much choice. Besides changing the formation completely, the only alternative would be to play Hamza Choudhury there, as Boubakary Soumare did not train with the team ahead of the second leg.

Compared to Tielemans, Choudhury perhaps has better qualities at breaking up play, but he does not receive and distribute the ball as effectively as the Belgian does, and that’s a key factor in Rodgers’ decision.

“He can play there,” Rodgers said on Tielemans after the first leg. “I always like players that handle the ball in that position because they link the game through the thirds for you. That player has to be able to take the ball from the centre-halves and get turned, because I think that’s one of the strengths of us as a team.

“Whenever I hear people talk about us, they talk about how quickly we can get through the thirds. That’s because we’ve got technical players in there who can take the ball and get us through the pitch quickly.

“There were some moments in the first half where they got through us too easily but it was further up the field. We didn’t counter-press well enough. That