**Jamie Vardy Starts for Leicester City in Premier League Opener Against Tottenham After Surprise Injury Recovery**
Jamie Vardy returns to Leicester City’s starting lineup for their Premier League opener against Tottenham, having made a surprising recovery from the injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. The striker had not played since being substituted in the club’s first pre-season match against Villarreal but is now part of the first 11 under new manager Steve Cooper.
Facundo Buonanotte also makes his debut, taking on the number 10 role behind Vardy, while Bobby De Cordova-Reid starts on the left wing. As a result, Stephy Mavididi is on the bench.
In defense, last season’s center-back pairing of Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard remains, with Caleb Okoli among the substitutes. Full-backs James Justin and Victor Kristiansen start, the latter making his first appearance in over a year, while Ricardo Pereira is on the bench.
Wilfred Ndidi, who played in an advanced midfield role during the final pre-season friendly against Lens, returns to a deeper position alongside Harry Winks. The lineup is rounded out by Mads Hermansen in goal and Abdul Fatawu on the right wing.
On the bench, youngster Will Alves misses out despite training with the first team throughout pre-season. Boubakary Soumare, Tom Cannon, and Kasey McAteer are among the substitutes Cooper can call upon.
**Leicester City (4-2-3-1):** Hermansen; Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Winks; Fatawu, Buonanotte, De Cordova-Reid; Vardy. **Subs:** Ward, Ricardo, Okoli, Nelson, Choudhury, Soumare, McAteer, Mavididi, Cannon.
