Leicester City will hope to return to winning ways when they take on promotion-chasing Ipswich Town on Monday night.
Leaders Leicester City were given a cruel wake up call last time around Coventry City when they fell 3-1 for just their fourth defeat of the Championship season. The Foxes are still at the top of the table with a healthy lead but cannot afford to let the chasing pack close them down.
Falling away is something Ipswich Town will be well aware of having dropped away in recent weeks. The Tractor Boys have now been overtaken by Southampton but could retake second spot should they avoid defeat at the King Power Stadium.
A Jannik Vestergaard own goal in the third minute of stoppage time saw both teams share the spoils in the return fixture at Portman Road. With Southampton and Leeds United both winning, Ipswich will be well aware that they cannot afford to drop off. The King Power Stadium is not an easy place to go to and will only add to the challenge Kieran McKenna and co. face.
Leicester City appeared to be cruising last time around against Coventry City before Abdul Fatawu and Enzo Maresca both received their marching orders. There were moments where the Foxes appeared indecisive, and they will hope that the result was a one off and not a collective loss of heads.
There is much at stake for both clubs regarding promotion when it comes to the tie on Monday. It will not come as a surprise should either team once again end up with fewer than 11 men at full-time. There should be no love lost given the managers’ allegiance to the red and blue halves of Manchester in the past. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
Abdul Fatawu decided to stay put at Leicester City, forgoing the AFCON. But his red now more or less rules him out for the upcoming three games. Manager Enzo Maresca will also serve a touchline ban after being sent off against Coventry City.
Fatawu’s absence could not have come at a worse time for Leicester. They are already without Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho, both of who, are currently at the AFCON. Jamie Vardy is also currently injured, reducing the Foxes’ options further.
To add to their concerns, Harry Souttar is away at the AFC Asian Cup, and Wilfred Ndidi is out long-term. Cesare Casadei has also returned to Chelsea, cutting short his season long loan.
Mads Hermansen should start in goal as the last line of defence. He is expected to be protected by the back four of James Justin, Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, and Ricardo Pereira.
Harry Winks and Yunus Akgun should partner Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in central midfield, with the former two allowing the latter to push on when needed. This will help Leicester shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation if needed. Stephy Mavididi and Kasey McAteer will provide the width on the wings, with Tom Cannon starting up front.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hermansen; Ricardo Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Dewsbury-Hall, Akgun; McAteer, Cannon, Mavididi
Ipswich Town
Kieran McKenna’s men will hope to win consecutive Championship games for the first time since 12 December. A run of four draws and one defeat since has seen them drop off in the race for the summit. A win over Leicester City will see them close the gap to the top to a mere four points, putting them within touching distance.
Sam Morsy is suspended after picking up his tenth yellow card this season, while Massimo Luongo is currently injured. Cameron Burgess is currently with the Australian squad at the Asian Cup while George Hirst, Lee Evans and Janoi Donacien are also out injured.
Lewis Travis and Jeremy Sarmiento will however, give McKenna options. The former Manchester United coach will set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Vaclav Hladky in goal. He is expected to be protected by the back four of Harry Clarke, Luke Woolfenden, George Edmundson, and Leif Davis providing him protection.
Lewis Travis and Jack Taylor should provide the double pivot in the midfield with the trio of Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead providing the attacking impetus. Kayden Jackson should retain his spot upfront and will aim to continue his goalscoring run.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis; Travis, Taylor, Chaplin, Burns, Broadhead; Jackson
Key Stats
- This is Leicester City’s first home game against Ipswich Town since 2014.
- Leicester City are unbeaten in their last nine home games against Ipswich Town.
- Ipswich Town last defeated the Foxes in 2013, under then manager Mick McCarthy.
- A loss on the night will see Leicester City lose consecutive league games for the first time since last November.
- Ipswich Town have failed to score in their last two away games.
Player to Watch
Leif Davis
The former Bournemouth and Leeds United man has been excellent for Ipswich Town this season and is a key player for the Tractor Boys under Kieran McKenna. Davis has managed to put up ten assists in the EFL Championship this season, a number bettered by only Southampton star Adam Armstrong (11).
The 24-year-old has also crafted 70 chances, trailing only Norwich City’s Gabriel Sara (75) and Crysencio Summerville (72) in the English second tier. Davis will once again be tasked with providing the attacking impetus and will hope to make the most of Ricardo Pereira’s forward forays to get in behind the Foxes defence.
Prediction
Leicester City 1-1 Ipswich Town
The Foxes are a formidable side but are not just reeling from a loss but also are missing several key players. Ipswich are no better off but will not have a better chance to secure a first win against Leicester since 2013. Both teams are unlikely to give much away and should gets tuck in from the kick off whistle. A 1-1 draw appears to be the most probable outcome.
