Leicester City face Burnley in a highly anticipated Premier League fixture this Wednesday evening, with both sides looking to bounce back from their weekend woes.
Both teams suffered heavy defeats to North London clubs at the weekend, as Burnley were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur whilst the Foxes lost 3-1 to an impressive Arsenal side.
Brendan Rodgers will hope his Foxes can improve from their previous display and replicate a similar scoreline to their last meeting with Sean Dyche's men in September.
The Foxes were victorious in their first fixture with the Clarets, emphaticly winning 4-2, with Harvey Barnes, Dennis Praet, and James Justin all scoring, alongside an own-goal from Erik Pieters.
Injury misery
The Foxes' injury-plagued side were dealt a further two heavy blows at the weekend, as Barnes and Jonny Evans were both forced off the pitch due to injuries.
Barnes' speed, skill, and attacking threat have been the weapons on the wing for Rodgers this season, making his injury a devastating blow for the Foxes fans.
The Foxes manager confirmed that the young winger will be out for roughly six weeks, forcing Leicester's second top scorer to miss a critical stage in the season.
The absence of experienced defender Evans may cause further issues at the back for Leicester, who are also without young defender Wesley Fofana due to injury.
As Leicester will now be without Barnes and Evans, there could be a starting place for Cengiz Ünder on the wing alongside Marc Albrighton. Daniel Amartey may also be switched back into central defence to join Çağlar Söyüncü, as he did in the Foxes' previous game.
Rodgers will be forced to select a similar midfield to the one that struggled against Arsenal as attacking midfielders James Maddison and Praet are still out injured.
Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi will likely remain in midfield, while there could be an opportunity for Hamza Choudhury or Nampalys Mendy to start.
Similar to Leicester, Burnley may be heavily affected by injuries ahead of their fixture against the Foxes.
Striker Ashley Barnes and winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson have both been absent for lengthy periods and will likely miss the upcoming clash.
The Clarets may also have to play without wideman Robbie Brady and defender Pieters, who were both left out of the squad in their 4-0 defeat to Tottenham.
This will mean that all four of Leicester's scorers in the previous meeting could be absent for the reverse fixture.
Potential striker return?
Despite their injury issues, there is some good news for Clarets fans and potentially troubling news for Leicester.
Former Foxes striker Chris Wood is expected to be in the squad after returning from a hamstring injury. The powerful forward has been kept out of action since their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in January, missing Burnley's last six games.
Wood is Burnley's top goalscorer this season after netting four before suffering his injury. Dyche may choose to start the striker against the Foxes, using his aerial dominance against a team who have struggled with defending set-pieces.
The New Zealand target-man took just ten minutes to score against his former club in the previous meeting, further emphasising his danger to the Leicester defence. Expect a tough battle between Wood and Söyüncü if the forward makes an appearance.
Team Verdict
Leicester's top goalscorer Jamie Vardy will have a tough battle against goalkeeper Nick Pope who has made some impressive performances this season for Burnley.
Many fans have praised Pope's form and believe that he could push for an international opportunity having kept nine clean-sheets this season.
Vardy is now four games without a goal in all competitions and may struggle for chances. The Clarets captain Ben Mee will certainly be looking to keep the speedy striker quiet with injuries leaving Vardy as one of the Foxes' only available forwards.
Burnley will use their strength in the air to their advantage, utilising Leicester's poor set-piece defensive record. Foxes stopper Kasper Schmeichel may be forced into plenty of action if Leicester fail to stop the Clarets from delivering threatening crosses into his box.
Prediction
Burnley 1-2 Leicester City