Often Partisan

Blues to Rule in King Power Showdown? Leicester Preview

Blues travel the short distance up the M69 to take on Nigel Pearson’s Leicester City as the Championship season starts to draw to a close. Will Lee Clark’s men be able to showcase another cracker on TV or will it be another damp squib?

Leicester City

Leicester come into the game in 7th place, some seven points clear of Blues and in the mix for the playoffs. However, despite a good overall home record that has seen them win twelve of twenty matches played at the King Power Stadium and being second highest home goalscorers in the division, Leicester are in a shocking run of form, having not won in eight and taken only two points from their last six games.

Whilst they have no injury concerns Pearson will be concerned by a strikeforce that has become somewhat toothless, with the Foxes only scoring four times in the last eight games – two of which have come from on-loan centre back Michael Keane. David Nugent hasn’t scored since January 31 and former Blues loanee Chris Wood hasn’t scored in eight games, dropping to the bench in the last one.

Blues

Lee Clark can welcome back Chris Burke and Shane Ferguson to the Blues fold after missing recent games but unfortunately another two players have been lost to injury in Jonathan Spector and Pablo Ibanez. It will mean a possible reshuffle in midfield and I wouldn’t be surprised if Clark moved to the formation that won so handsomely at Palace with maybe Hayden Mullins in the middle instead of the injured Keith Fahey.

The other potential option is to rest Mitch Hancox who looked very out of sorts against Millwall and putting Ferguson in the left back slot, playing with a narrow midfield three of Elliott, Reilly and Morrison and then Burke and Redmond supporting Zigic up top. Whichever way Clark decides to go, I think this is a game for the taking as Leicester look massively out of sorts and we’ve seen that the team can do well when set up right. It’s going to be a test of ensuring the attacking capabilities are there without leaving too many gaps at the back.

I’d love to see another convincing win on TV but I’m going to be honest and say that I think it’ll be a dull draw as both teams let their seasons peter out to midtable mediocrity. The match is live on Sky Sports 2, kick off at 7:45pm.

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18 Responses to “Blues to Rule in King Power Showdown? Leicester Preview”

  • mark says:

    IMO Dan I think clark will probably go 451 system, it will be expected that blues get at them in the same fashion as the palace game. Blues appear to play better away from home when there is no pressure on them. Another palace result will do me thank very much….. blues win

  • DoctorD says:

    I’m going Leicester 2 Blues 0. I would love a win but I can’t bear to be too optimistic.

  • sutton apex says:

    definetely play 4 5 1 and try to hit em on the counter attack – reckon 1-1 draw

  • Steve-0 says:

    I agree similar tactics to the Palace game. Even though they’re on a bad run they’re 7th for a reason and any team can turn their form around instantly.

    Plan for worst case, but be prepared to exploit the best.

    I’d be cautious and contain them as with Palace and hopefully put our chances away.

    It will be tight.

    Leicester 0-1 Blues

  • tristybabes says:

    You’re probably right about the dull draw bit, but I’m going tonight and don’t thing I’ve ever seen a nil nil game with Blues before. KRO

  • Dino Tiltoni says:

    4-5-1 and yes Ferguson in for Hancox at LB. He needs a rest, Feeney had liitle trouble getting round him to cross on Saturday. Someone else who looked out of sorts was Zigic who tires noticeably after an hour. Best save him on the bench in case we need a goal and go 4-4-2. Could be an interesting game and hopefully of better quality than Saturday which was a rather ragged affair.

  • Alex T says:

    I would stick with Hancox. Remember, he had no cover from Elliot on left wing in the last match, and its very difficult for a full back to be effective without the support of the wide midfield player in front of you. And I think Ferguson is too good on the left wing to be wasted in the full back position – I know its strange to say ‘wasted’, as he is also a very good full back, but is a much better winger – The Hancox/Ferguson pairing has worked very well before in a 4-5-1, so why not keep with it?

    For me, I would replace Fahey with Reilly (dont really want to see Mullins again) in the 5 man midfield and keep with the rest. A formation that I think should be played at home as well as away, as our midfield is too powder puff with only 4, but with 5 they have ability and pass the ball around very nicely, with good support for Zigic too.

    KRO

  • KPG says:

    God points made by Alex T, Mtich had no cover from Elliott who had a very poor game. The winger was also Millwall’s best player on the day. Time for Ziggy to do what he did to Leeds last year and generate a Blues win. KRO

  • Ali Duncan says:

    Sadly I think it will be a Foxes win as I expect them to start winning again at some point and I have a bad feeling it will be tonight. Leicester 2 Blues 0.

  • alexjhurley says:

    with half of our best team missing (murhpy carr, fahey, spector, king) we’ll be lucky to get anything. Liecester can’t go on not winning …….especially at home

    I agree a 3 man midfield with 1 up top supported by 2 wide men is the way to go – just not sure we’ve got enough quality for tonight or the rest of the season (not clark’s fault). Relegation still worries me a lot

  • Marky mark says:

    I think Leicester are a far better team than there current form would suggest, and if our defense is not on the ball tonight we will get turned over.They also have some really good players, I could never predict a defeat for my team, so more than happy with a point from a 1-1 draw.

    Set up the same as the Palace match, which was as good a performance as any for many a season.

    If only we had a Kenny Burns to bring on, and a repeat of the 6-2 win from 1976, I dare say you were there Paul TVOR.

  • John says:

    The Leicester forwards may have been toothless lately,but our defenders tend to help out opposing forwards.. I wish I could be optomistic,but this, is ,Blues !

  • rkboosh says:

    I’d leave the defence as is but shake it up elsewhere. Mullins and Gomis (remember him) holding in midfield with Burke, Redmond and Ferguson as the pacy 3 who can hit on the break. Thomas up front as Zigic has been a total liability for me in the last half a dozen games. Finally, give Doyle a game in goal bcs we’re going to need him next season and we need to assess him in these last 6 games.

  • Ali Duncan says:

    Surprising that Gomis is infor Mullins. I would have thought a more physical player would be preferred for an away game like this.

  • nicko says:

    Thought Curtis Davies was amazing tonight MOTM and player of the season by a country mile well done blues!!


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