After disappointing back to back losses to Slavia Prague and Arsenal, Leicester City look to get back on track on Wednesday night, as they eye to claim three points against Burnley.
15th place side, Burnley, come into this game off the back of a thrashing to Tottenham Hotspur. Sean Dyche and the Clarets will be hoping for a much improved performance in midweek.
It was a bad day at the office for Leicester against Arsenal, not being able to maintain their early lead, via Youri Tielemans, as the Gunners headed back to North-London with all three points.
A win for Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester could see them reassert their claim for a UEFA Champions League spot. Burnley however, will be looking to increase their points tally away from the relegation spots.
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Team News
Clarets forward Chris Wood came through his cameo appearance verses Tottenham, and is in contention to start for Burnley for the first time since January. Dale Stephens will be available for selection against the Foxes.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Ashley Barnes remain out for the home side. The game will come too soon for Robbie Brady and Erik Pieters who are not expected to recover from their injuries in time for Wednesday night’s clash.
Leicester’s injury list mounted even more against Arsenal to add to their worrying injury concerns, with both Jonny Evans and Harvey Barnes being forced off.
Rodgers has confirmed that Barnes will be out for at least six weeks and will undergo surgery on his knee. It's heartbreaking news after having had such a wonderful Premier League campaign.
The game will come too soon for James Maddison, who is hoping to return to training soon but will remain sidelined for the trip to Lancashire.
Dennis Praet, Ayoze Pérez and Wes Morgan will remain out with injuries. Meanwhile, the awaited return of Wesley Fofana will hopefully not have to be much longer. There is a slim chance of an appearance on Wednesday evening at Turf Moor. James Justin will have no involvement, after being ruled out for a hefty few months as he was stretchered off against Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Predicted Line-ups
Burnley: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Brownhill, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Rodriguez, Vydra.
Leicester City: Schmeichel; Castagne, Soyuncu, Evans, Thomas; Pereira, Ndidi, Tielemans, Albrighton; Vardy, Iheanacho.
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Last Meeting
The previous encounter between the sides saw Leicester overcome Burnley after an early scare.
Chris Wood’s volley put Burnley ahead in the early stages, but the lead didn’t last long after Barnes claimed the equaliser. It then went down hill for Dyche's troops from then on in with Leicester going onto win the game by four goals to one.
Goals from Justin, Praet, and a Pieters own goal saw Leicester get their second win of the season.
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Ones to Watch
It’s not often that the goalkeeper shines the brightest in a team, but in Burnley’s case it’s exactly the opposite. Nick Pope has once again been fantastic for the Clarets and has kept them in games on numerous occasions this season.
Pope just missed out on the golden glove award last year picking up 15 clean sheets. In this campaign, the English keeper has picked up nine clean sheets and has once again been sensational for Burnley.
In this same fixture last year, Pope displayed an incredible performance as he led his side to taking the three points off Leicester. The stopper kept his side in the game after he saved Jamie Vardy’s penalty, with Burnley then going on to win the game 2-1
It will be a tough job for Leicester to find the back of the net against Burnley, with NPope arguably one of the best keepers in the league.
Youri Tielemans scored once again on Sunday afternoon in Leicester’s defeat to Arsenal, claiming his sixth goal of the season. The Belgian is having an excellent season for the Foxes and has been critical in the Leicester midfield.
In this Premier League campaign, Rodgers has played the Belgian in a deeper role alongside Wilfred Ndidi which has worked a treat and Tielemans looks to be playing his best football.
With Leicester’s injury crisis, the former Monaco man could be the one to produce that spark in the final third. With no Barnes and Maddison, Leicester could lack that creativity so they may be reliant on Tielemans to find that killer pass.
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Pre-Match Thoughts
In a recent interview, Leicester boss Rodgers spoke about Leicester’s current position in the Premier League and their attitude towards a Champions League spot finish.
Rodgers has shown no signs of getting ahead of himself in a top four spot, and is fully focused on taking it game by game.
Speaking to Leicestershire Live, Rodgers said: “My attitude is that we’re not in the top four until we see where we’re at at the end of the season. We’ve got nothing to lose because we haven’t earned anything yet.”
Sean Dyche spoke highly of Brendan Rodgers and Leicester's season so far in the Premier League and has said this a crucial time for Leicester.
Speaking to Lancashire Live, Dyche said: “I think to be fair to Brendan he recognised when he went in there they were piecing together a good side and he has added his feel to it and has done a great job.
“They fell away at the end last season but they had had a wonderful season and now it is about whether they can take on and finish in the top four. Even with the challenges they have had recently they have still applied themselves well”
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How to Watch
The game is available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event with coverage starting at 5:30pm for a 6:00pm kick off.
Alternatively, you can keep up to date with live text updates on the VAVEL website and Leicester VAVEL Twitter page.