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Leicester logo
Championship
May 3, 2014 at 12.15pm UK
 
Doncaster Rovers

1-0

Nugent (75' pen.)
FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Leicester City vs. Doncaster Rovers

Sports Mole previews relegation-threatened Doncaster's trip to face champions Leicester on the final day of the Championship season.

Doncaster Rovers could not have wished for a tougher end to their season as they travel to the King Power Stadium to take on champions Leicester City with their Championship status hanging in the balance.

Rovers go into the final day precariously perched one place and one point above the bottom three, needing a victory to guarantee survival.

While they will be more pleased that their fate is in their own hands rather than being dependent on another team losing, the size of the task facing Doncaster at the weekend means that they could still need other results to go their way in order to stay up.

Birmingham City face a trip to the Reebok Stadium to take on Bolton Wanderers in a game that could have major implications for Paul Dickov's side. Birmingham's superior goal difference means that Doncaster must at least match City's result against Bolton in order to stay up.

Defeat for the Yorkshire side would leave Birmingham only needing a draw, but if Doncaster can hang on for a point then not only would Lee Clark's side need a win, but they could also overtake Millwall on goal difference depending on the Lions' result against Bournemouth.

However, even a draw appears unlikely given that Rovers are now without a win in six matches, picking up a solitary point from a possible 18 in that time. With the teams around them scrapping for their lives to pick up the odd point here and there, such a run of form could prove to be very costly.

This Championship season has been full of twists and turns already, however, and Dickov will be urging his side to provide one more against a team that has comparatively little to fight for.

A Donny victory would arguably go down as the biggest shock of the season yet considering they have the worst away record in the division and are coming up against the best home record.

Rovers have only amassed 13 points on the road all season, with just one win in their last 18 away outings and two all season. They have also scored a league-low 12 goals on their travels.

Rob Jones and Bongani Khumalo are unlikely to play any part in the match due to injury, but Billy Sharp is expected to start up front as the visitors look to spring a shock.

While automatic promotion has been confirmed for a while now, Leicester are refusing to let up in their quest for a century of points this season. Victory over Huddersfield Town last Saturday brought them up to 99, meaning that they only need a draw this weekend to reach the landmark.

The Foxes could have been forgiven for having one eye on next season already, but three consecutive victories without conceding have quashed any thoughts that they could be easier pickings having wrapped up the title.

It has been a thoroughly deserved title success too, with Nigel Pearson's side only having lost one of their last 26 league outings and boasting both the best home record and away record in the division.

They have only lost twice at the King Power Stadium all season and once since November and, despite Doncaster desperately being in need of a positive result, they are not likely to get an easy ride from Leicester.

Pearson could make a number of changes to his side for the final match of the season and, while he may not start, Kevin Phillips will almost certainly feature in what will be the last game of a stellar career.

Recent form

Leicester: WLDWWW

Doncaster: LLLLDL

Possible starting lineups

Leicester: Schmeichel; De Laet, Wasilewski, Morgan, Konchesky; Knockaert, James, Drinkwater, Mahrez; Vardy, Nugent

Doncaster: Johnstone; Quinn, Meite, Tamas, Stevens; Coppinger, Keegan, Furman, Cotterill; Sharp, Brown

Sports Mole says: 3-1


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Written by
Barney Corkhill
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Doncaster manager Paul Dickov prior to kick off against Wigan on August 20, 2013
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