Leicester City will be eager to reclaim the top spot in the EFL Championship when they take on Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Friday.
The 2023/24 season resumes on Friday after the end of the first international break of 2024. The EFL Championship will witness Matchday 39 on Friday as we approach the run-in amid a widely-blown-open title race. Leicester City will be eager to return to the top of the table when they lock horns with Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Bristol City would have hoped to get closer to the teams vying for the promotion playoffs after finishing in the mid-table positions last season. But they have maintained their stature in the second division, although they were as high as seventh in the early stages of the 2023/24 campaign. Liam Manning’s men have won only one of their last six league games heading into Matchday 39.
As for Leicester City, they were seemingly cruising to the EFL Championship title midway through the campaign. But the Foxes have been dreadful in 2024, dropping points galore to concede their buffer atop the table. Enzo Maresca’s men fell to second in the standings heading into the international break, with Leeds United playing an extra game to come level on points with them.
The reverse fixture saw Leicester City eking out a 1-0 win over Bristol City at the King Power Stadium, with Jamie Vardy scoring the match-winning penalty. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bristol City
Liam Manning has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Leicester City on Friday, the Bristol City manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Matty James Joe Williams should be in contention to take on Leicester City, easing the burden on Manning and his medical staff. Meanwhile, Ayman Benarous is closing in on returning to action as he builds up his fitness. But Rob Atkinson (knee), Kal Naismith (calf), and Sam Bell (leg) remain on the sidelines.
Bristol City will line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation against Leicester City, with Max O’Leary taking his spot between the sticks. The backline should feature Zak Vyner and Rob Dickie as the central defensive pairing, with George Tanner and Cameron Pring being the full-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Taylor Garner-Hickman and former Leicester City man Andy King will pair up in the middle of the park. Mark Sykes and Scott Twine should be the wide midfielders, looking to provide width in the final third and support the full-backs. Finally, Tommy Conway should spearhead the Bristol City attack, with Jason Knight playing behind him.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): O’Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Sykes, King, Gardner-Hickman, Twine; Knight; Conway
Leicester City
Like his counterpart in the Bristol City dugout, Enzo Maresca does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Ashton Gate. The Leicester City manager will be without three first-team players on Friday.
Kasey McAteer (match fitness) and Ricardo Pereira (hamstring) are the most notable absentees, although the duo is closing in on returning to action. Dennis Praet should also be back in action soon, although he remains unavailable due to a thigh issue.
Mads Hermansen will take his spot between the sticks, with Leicester City lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Bristol City. Pereira’s absence should see Hamza Choudhury deputising as the right-back, with the 26-year-old joining Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, and James Justin in the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Wilfred Ndidi should sit at the base, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will provide defensive support while looking to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Patson Daka should lead the line, with Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Stephy Mavididi being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hermansen; Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Daka, Mavididi
Key Stats
- The last three league meetings between Bristol City and Leicester City have ended in a win for the Foxes, who have not conceded a goal while scoring seven times.
- Leicester City will travel to Bristol City for a league game for the first time since January 2013 on Friday. The Foxes clinched a 4-0 win that day, with Chris Wood scoring a match-winning hat-trick.
- Bristol City have lost only one of their last eight league games on Good Friday (W4 D3), going down 2-0 to Stoke City in 2021.
- Leicester City will play a league game on Good Friday for the first time since 2013, losing 1-0 to Millwall on that day. The Foxes have not emerged victorious in a match on Good Friday since 1973.
- Four of their last six meetings have produced over 2.5 goals, with Bristol failing to score thrice.
Player to Watch
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
The Foxes have blown hot and cold in 2024, with the inconsistencies of their strikers hurting them. So, Enzo Maresca needs Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to ramp up his performance levels to guide Leicester City back to the Premier League.
The 25-year-old has been among the most productive players in the EFL Championship this term, with his exploits earning him interest from several Premier League bigwigs. But he remains focused on the job at hand and will be eager to ensure he takes his team to the top flight before potentially sealing a big summer move.
Prediction
Bristol City 1-2 Leicester City
Bristol City’s record at Ashton Gate in 2024 is dreadful, having managed only two wins in seven outings thus far. In addition, the Robins have failed to find the back of the net in four matches, further illustrating their struggles since the turn of the year.
So, while Leicester City’s form in 2024 is poor, the visitors will fancy their chances of getting back to winning ways on Friday. However, expect a closely contested affair despite Bristol City’s struggles to score against Leicester City. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away side, coming from behind to clinch a 2-1 win at Ashton Gate.