Leicester City find themselves with a somewhat enviable problem to have as the 2015-16 Premier League season looms just around the corner. Claudio Ranieri finds himself with five very capable first team strikers to choose from. So just who will he pick?

Formation will be a key factor

So far in pre-season Ranieri has experimented with different formations and player combinations - which is obviously to be expected. The Italian has tried and tested a team with both two strikers and three strikers in the starting line-up, so it's still up to debate as to which formation he prefers.

In the Foxes latest and most profile pre-season fixture against Championship outfit Birmingham City, Ranieri chose to start with the duo of Jamie Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa rather than a trio - suggesting that this could be his preferred set up.

Vardy looks to be an invaluable asset

The Englishman was the name on everyone's tongue at the back end of last season and his goals are arguably the reason that Leicester pulled off that famous great escape. Not only did his performances keep Leicester afloat but they also earned him a place in England's squad to face Ireland and Slovenia.

Ranieri also seems to have shown a preference to the 28-year-old who only five years ago was playing non-league football for Stocksbridge Park Seals. He has appeared in all of Leicester's pre-season games - scoring both goals in the away win against Mansfield Town and a 90th minute goal against Lincoln City.

Vardy however, has proved himself to be somewhat inconsistent in the past; any repeat of this next season and Vardy may find himself on the substitute bench fairly quickly - especially with the calibre of competition.

Could this be the end of David Nugent as a Leicester front man?

Nugent has been Leicester's go-to man and has proved himself on many occasions to be a valued player for the Foxes. His 55 goals in 159 appearance for Leicester have helped them to where they are today as well as helping to win over the Foxes faithful.

The arrival of Shinji Okazaki and Andrej Kramaric - both younger than him, means Nugent has stern competition going into this season. Nugent may therefore find himself a recurring substitute for yet another season. With Nugent in his early 30's, it's hard to see that he would readily accept a bench position and may opt to move to a club where he will be a consistent starter.

However, Nugent has found himself in a great run of form going into the season, scoring against both Rotherham and Mansfield, which will only improve his stature in the eyes of Ranieri.

Kramaric failed to prove himself last season

After joining in January last season, Kramaric failed to continue his prolific goal-scoring nature that he showed at previous club Rijeka. The Croatian was linked with a move away from Leicester this summer, however stated in July that he wanted to stay and fight for his place at the club.

Kramaric did show glimpses of class last season though, for example his header against Aston Villa in the 2-1 away FA Cup loss exemplified his ability to produce goals out of very little. It also has to be kept in mind that the Premier League is an extremely difficult league to play in for any foreign player due to its frenetic pace, meaning a period of adaptation is usually needed. The Foxes faithful will hope that this is the case for the 24-year-old striker's performance last campaign.

Since last season Kramaric looks to have strengthened in physique and is another who has performed well in pre-season, scoring against Lincoln and almost scoring against Birmingham last week.

Can Ulloa emulate his goal scoring success from last season?  

Ulloa had a sterling start to his Premier League career, scoring 13 goals, making him Leicester's top goalscorer last season. Despite this, Ulloa is in fact the only striker not to have bagged in pre-season for the Foxes.

But as a through-and-through front man, if Leicester were to play with three strikers, it would be extremely likely that Ranieri would opt to play Ulloa through the middle - being the striker with the most physical presence.

It seems as though the Argentinian would be the most wise choice to start the first game against Sunderland later this week considering his goals tally last season, however after a somewhat varied pre-season, Ranieri may choose to go in another direction.

Okazaki in Ranieri's plans?

Okazaki along with other new signing Christian Fuchs - was brought in by former manager Nigel Pearson. Therefore it's speculative as to whether the 29-year-old forward has a place in new manager Ranieri's plans; but if pre-season is anything to go by then the answer would be - yes.

The former-Mainz forward seems to have settled well at Leicester scoring a well-deserved goal in their friendly against Birmingham. Eyebrows would be raised if Ranieri was not to harness the use of a player with as much quality as Okazaki - who became the most prolific Japanese player in Bundesliga history in his time at 1.FSV Mainz 05.

The Japanese International may perhaps not be an immediate starter for the Foxes, however after a period of adaption may become a consistent starter later on into the season.

Saturday's game against Sunderland will tell all 

After asking fellow VAVEL writers Daniel Orme and Brandon Marbrook who they think will start against Sunderland, both replied with "It's a tough one."

Orme replied "I would like to see Vardy and Okazaki personally but I'm not sure what Ranieri will do."

Marbrook took on a similar opinion stating: "I can most likely see Vardy and Okazaki up top with Kramaric in behind.

"But then again Mahrez has had a good pre-season so he could well be in behind; I can't see him in a wing back position."

The consensus appears to be that Vardy and Okazaki are the favourites to start followed by Kramaric, although it probably would come as no surprise if Ulloa was to start in place of Okazaki - who has no Premier League experience. 

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About the author
Christopher Jones
18 year-old Sports Journalism at Falmouth University.