Preview: Leicester City vs Northampton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

17 years on from their last competitive meeting, Leicester City and Northampton Town meet at the King Power Stadium in the opening round of the EFL Cup.

Both sides will be looking to begin their campaigns positively after suffering disappointing relegations last season, while they meet less than a month after the Foxes secured a 3-0 pre-season victory over the Cobblers.

Match preview

Just two seasons ago, Leicester City were competing in the Premier League against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, but following back-to-back relegations, they will begin the 2026-27 campaign in League One.

The Foxes struggled to adapt to life back in the Championship last season, with Marti Cifuentes departing in January after a difficult run of form, before Gary Rowett took charge for the remainder of the campaign.

Despite a change in the dugout, Leicester were unable to avoid the drop and finished 23rd after recording just 12 victories, 16 draws and 18 defeats from their 46 league fixtures.

Rowett's short-term contract was unsurprisingly not extended following the season's conclusion, with their relegation confirmed after a 2-2 draw against eventual promoted side Hull City, marking only the second time in the club's history that they had been relegated into the third tier.

The Leicester board moved quickly to appoint his successor, announcing former Southampton and Rangers boss Russell Martin as their new head coach on the same day Rowett's departure was confirmed.

Martin's latest managerial spell ended after just 17 matches at Ibrox, where he recorded a disappointing 29.41% win rate, and he will be eager to make a positive start with his new club.

Several key players including Harry Winks, Jeremy Monga and Ricardo Pereira have departed the East Midlands this summer, but the Foxes have still attracted quality additions such as Tommy Watson, Liam Cullen and Conor Chaplin, who could all play important roles in their promotion push.

As for Northampton Town, they also begin the new campaign in a different division after suffering relegation from League One and returning to League Two after three seasons away.

The Cobblers endured a difficult 2025-26 season under former West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan, winning just nine of their 46 league matches while suffering 29 defeats and finishing bottom of the table with 35 points.

Nolan departed in March following a disappointing campaign, while interim boss Colin Calderwood also left before former Bristol City assistant coach Chris Hogg was appointed with the aim of securing an immediate return to League One.

Hogg's pre-season preparations began with a heavy 3-0 defeat against Saturday's opponents, although there have been more encouraging signs since with draws against Coventry and victories over Southend and Solihull Moors.

The Cobblers have seen several first-team departures this summer, including Nesta Guinness-Walker, Cameron McGeehan and Kyle Edwards, but have strengthened with the arrivals of Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, Zach Jeacock, James Maxwell, Janoi Donacien and Harvey Saunders.

As previously mentioned, these sides have already met during pre-season, but Saturday's encounter will mark their first competitive meeting since a League One clash in 2009, when Leicester secured a 2-1 victory at Sixfields.

Leicester City pre-season form:

Northampton Town pre-season form:

Team News

Both managers will take charge of their first competitive fixtures at their respective clubs, with this being Hogg's first match as a senior manager, meaning their preferred systems and selections remain relatively unknown.

With the EFL Cup taking place before the return of league action, neither side is expected to name their strongest possible XI, while injuries and fitness concerns will also limit their options.

Ben Nelson has impressed throughout pre-season despite speculation surrounding his future, but after being forced off during the first half of Leicester's defeat to Genoa, he is unlikely to recover in time.

Will Alves has also caught the eye during the summer, scoring against Northampton and Burton Albion, and should be available to feature against the Cobblers.

For the visitors, Jack Burroughs and Liam Shaw have missed the entirety of pre-season and are not expected to return soon, while Conor McCarthy is also likely to miss out after lasting just eight minutes against Coventry.

Logan Briggs has joined Hogg's side on loan from Leicester but will be unavailable against his parent club, while the new manager has recently confirmed that Jeacock will be his number one goalkeeper and that he will start against the Foxes.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Stolarczyk; Aluko, Souttar, Okoli, Thomas; Coulibaly, Choudhury, Skipp, Chaplin, Watson; De Cordova-Reid

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:

Jeacock; Donacien, Guthrie, Dyche, Maxwell; Briggs, Perkins; Swyer, Ward, Lemonheigh-Evans; Hoskins

We say: Leicester City 3-1 Northampton Town

Although Northampton showed positive signs during pre-season, they have failed to win any of their last 18 competitive fixtures, with their last victory coming against Wimbledon in February.

We expect Martin to begin his reign with a comfortable victory that sees the Foxes progress into the second round of the EFL Cup.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.