Cadiz vs Leicester

Russell Martin named a completely different XI for each half, using the full 90 minutes to give minutes to his entire travelling squad. The first-half team featured new signings Conor Chaplin and Alex McCarthy making their debuts, but struggled to find rhythm against a Cadiz side that pressed aggressively in the blistering Andalusian heat.

Leicester should have taken an early lead when Hamza Choudhury intercepted a poor pass from Cadiz goalkeeper David Gil inside the box, but his pass to Conor Chaplin was too heavy. The ball fell to Riley Carr, who blazed over from close range.

From that point, Cadiz took control. Alex McCarthy was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the opening 45 minutes, making four saves to keep the score level. The 36-year-old denied Alvaro Garcia Pascual twice — once with his feet after being caught in possession by a loose goal-kick, and again with a low parry when Pascual raced clear of the Leicester backline.

A flashpoint arrived on 35 minutes when Jake Evans was booked for a heavy challenge. The Cadiz player reacted, pushing Evans, and both sets of players converged, with Harry Souttar particularly incensed. The half ended 0-0, with Leicester fortunate to be level.

Martin made 11 changes at the interval, introducing a more settled combination of players who had featured together in earlier pre-season games. The second-half XI — Stolarczyk; Joseph, Okoli, Nelson, Thomas; Skipp, Braybrooke, Page; Alves, Mavididi, Otchere — looked far more coherent.

Otchere almost scored within two minutes of the restart, dragging a shot wide after a neat build-up. But on 53 minutes, he made no mistake. Stephy Mavididi delivered a cross from the left, and Otchere beat his marker to guide a deft header into the top-right corner from close range.

It was the young striker's third goal of pre-season, continuing a remarkable run for a player with no previous first-team experience as a centre-forward for Leicester.

Alex McCarthy (Leicester) — The former Southampton goalkeeper, making his debut, kept Leicester in the game during a difficult first half with four saves, showing sharp reactions and good positioning. Filbertway named him man of the match.

Kirsten Otchere (Leicester) — His third goal in three pre-season appearances. The 19-year-old's movement in the channels and composure in front of goal is making a strong case for a squad role this season.

Stephy Mavididi (Leicester) — Introduced at half-time, his cross created the only goal. The winger's direct running pinned Cadiz back and gave Leicester the attacking thrust they lacked in the first period.

Ben Nelson and Caleb Okoli (Leicester) — The centre-back pairing in the second half looked composed and solid, snuffing out Cadiz's attempts to build pressure.

Leicester finished with 61% possession, a figure that reflects their control of the second half rather than the first, where Cadiz created the clearer chances. The hosts registered five shots on target to Leicester's one — all of them coming in the first 45 minutes against McCarthy. Cadiz committed 17 fouls to Leicester's 16, illustrating the physical, stop-start nature of the contest. Five corners to Leicester's two underscores the home side's territorial advantage before the break.

Leicester have now won all four pre-season friendlies — Northampton (2-0), Bristol Rovers (3-1), Burton Albion (2-0) and Cadiz (1-0) — without conceding a goal from open play. The trip to Spain continues with a match against Malaga (Primera Federacion) on Saturday 25 July.

For Cadiz, the Segunda Division side continued their own pre-season build-up ahead of the 2026-27 Spanish season. The result is a useful marker against a disciplined English side.

This was a game of two halves in the truest sense. The first XI looked disjointed, with new signings still finding their feet and defensive combinations unfamiliar. The second XI, by contrast, played with the fluency of a group that has built understanding across the summer. Otchere's goal was the difference, but the deeper takeaway for Martin is that his preferred shape may already be emerging from the players who finished this game.