Nigel Pearson’s foxes host fellow promoted side Burnley at the King Power stadium come Saturday, a week after suffering only its second defeat in the Premier League against Crystal Palace, away at Selhurst Park. The home side though, will be looking to continue their emphatic home form, where the foxes have managed to hold out quality oppositions in Arsenal and Everton for a draw and more recently humiliated Manchester United 5-3, sending shock waves throughout the country. The manager has insisted they will by no means underestimate the struggling visitors, who they managed to beat last season in the Championship, albeit away from home.
The Clarets will play their second away fixture in succession after enduring their worst result of the season so far, a 4-0 drubbing at the Hawthorns, has left them languishing at the bottom of the table, making Saturday’s game all the more important with the team needing a win so badly. Manager Sean Dykes, will have to get goals out of his side that has managed to find the net only once in 6 games and has not managed to score since the opening day defeat to Chelsea, but he is optimistic about his side’s chances of getting a result on Saturday and turning the club’s fortunes around.
Team News
Both Ritchie De Laet and Esteban Cambiasso are fit for the clash after being substituted in the defeat to Palace. Matty Upson is showing signs improvement in his recovery from a foot injury while Zoumana Bakayogo has had an operation after again damaging his anterior cruciate ligament.
Dean Marney (hamstring), David Jones (hip/thigh) and Matthew Taylor (calf/shin) remain doubts for the trip to Leicester while Danny Ings (hamstring) and Sam Vokes (anterior cruciate ligament) are more long-term problems for the Lancashire club. Nathaniel Chalobah made a difference off the bench against the Baggies and could be handed a start, while Marvin Sordell may be asked to lead the line.
Stat Attack
Head-to-Head (All Competitions)
City: 32
Draws: 29
Burnley: 43
Last three meetings:
Burnley 0-2 City (Championship)
City 1-1 Burnley  (Championship)
Burnley 0-1 City  (Championship)
Possible Starting lineups
Leicester City:Â Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky, Hammond, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, Nugent, Vardy, Ulloa.
Burnley:Â Heaton, Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee, Arfield, Wallace, Chalobah, Kightly, Boyd, Sordell.
Key MenÂ
Jamie Vardy – Leicester City
Jamie Vardy produced an excellent performance playing a vital role in Leicester City’s dramatic win over Manchester United, a fortnight back, where he even managed to score a fine goal in the end that sealed the win. His pace and the ability to turn on a six pence can unsettle most defences in the league and hurt the opposition, something they have been able to do, especially in the home games. He’s set up 2 goals already and scored 1 with a passing success rate of 77% at an average of 13 passes per game. His work rate is also commendable making him one of the more complete players in the foxes squad that could be key to deciding Saturday’s outcome.
Jason Shackell – Burnley
Burnley has managed 3 clean sheets this season and center-half Jason Shackell has been pivotal to that and their overall robustness at the back, doing most of the sweeping work. He’s played in all 6 games in the league so far and been able to repay the manager’s trust in a good number of those games making him one of the more reliable players in the camp. He’s already made 62 clearances in 6 games at an average of 10 per game (league high) and has successfully blocked 4 shots on target. Add to that the 4 successful interceptions and tackles he’s managed, Shackell has been their best player on the pitch. If Burnley are to get something from this outing, they will have to keep doing what they do best which means this man could at least make sure the Clarets don’t lose this crunch game.
Tailorbet Odds
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Prediction
Leicester City has been very good at home, brimming with confidence and lethal during the break making the most of their boisterous home crowd. Burnley on the flip side, has been anything but good, going forward. This game could only go one way really. The home side should be able to win and quite comfortably.
