Good afternoon! There was another twist in the title race yesterday as Arsenal hit top form and Spurs slipped up at Anfield, and it is now all eyes on leaders Leicester City as they host Southampton at the King Power Stadium. Victory would take the Foxes seven points clear, but defeat could open the door for the chasing North London duo to reel Claudio Ranieri's men in. Before we get into all that, though, let's take a look at the two teams on show...

LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Kanté, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy

LEICESTER SUBS: King, Amartey, Gray, Ulloa, Dyer, Wasilewski, Schwarzer

SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: Forster; Cedric, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand; Clasie, Wanyama, Davis, Mane, Targett; Pelle

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Stekelenburg, Yoshida, Rodriguez, Tadic, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Austin

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, as far as Leicester are concerned, there are once again no surprises in Claudio Ranieri's team selection. For the vast majority of the campaign he has stuck with the same side, and that is the case again this afternoon as he names an unchanged XI to the one that beat Crystal Palace before the international break. There is a lot to be said for his lack of rotation - particularly for someone who earned himself the nickname of 'The Tinkerman' while at Chelsea!

There was a small doubt over Schmeichel after he picked up a minor muscle injury while on international duty with Denmark, but he was expected to start today and that is the case. It is a settled back four in front of him too, and that defensive unit has significantly improved in the second half of the campaign. Clean sheets are now a regular occurrence for the Foxes, whereas earlier in the season they were rare enough to be treated with special rewards by Ranieri.

The recent international break was a notable one for the central midfield partnership of Danny Drinkwater and Ngolo Kante, who both earned their first call-ups for England and France respectively. Both made and impressed on their debuts too, with Kante even scoring on his, which was also his birthday. They have been a huge part of Leicester's success this season and on form they thoroughly deserved their chance at the highest level.

There is no doubt who the stars of Leicester's season have been, though. Vardy scored in both England games over the international break to take his tally for club and country this season to 21, while Mahrez netted the winning last time out against Crystal Palace - his seventh winning goal in the league this season, which is more than any other player has managed. Leicester's goalscoring has calmed down in the second half of the season, but those two remain such a threat.

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Southampton also have their own in-form striker in Graziano Pelle, who has worked his way back into the starting lineup following a spell on the sidelines. He has been directly involved in each of his side's last five goals, scoring three himself and setting up two more for Sadio Mane. There is no doubt that the Italian can be a real handful, but up against Morgan and Huth his power may not be quite as effective as usual.

Mane will also provide a significant goal threat for the Saints, just as he did last time out against Liverpool when he scored twice to help his side launch a dramatic late comeback. It could have been even better for him too, but he missed a penalty early in the second half that ultimately cost him a hat-trick. Even so, the battle between him and Kante this afternoon is sure to be a key one, and if Mane can come out on top then Southampton will stand a very good chance of winning the game.

Mane coming in is one of four changes made by Ronald Koeman to the side that started the win over Liverpool, with Long and Tadic among the attacking players to drop out - the former after picking up a knock to his knee on international duty. Interestingly, Targett is expected to play in the advanced left position, which I'm sure is to give Bertrand extra cover against the threat of Mahrez. Wanyama also returns to the side, while Clasie and Davis retain their spots in midfield.

There is just one change at the back as Martina drops out of the squad entirely to be replaced by Cedric on the right. Southampton have been hit and miss in many aspects this season, particularly at the back, and Fonte and Van Dijk in the middle will be desperate to record a clean sheet this afternoon. Behind them, Forster started as England were beaten by Netherlands during the international break, and with Jack Butland now out of Euro 2016, looks to be his country's number two behind Joe Hart.

A clean sheet is not something that many clubs have managed to boast against Leicester so far this season, with the Foxes having kept up this remarkable run of form right to the home straight. Ranieri continues to insists that there is no pressure on his side having already overachieved beyond their wildest dreams, but as the dream gets closer and closer it will be interesting to see whether anything changes for them. They do have a nice cushion to the chasing pack, particularly if they win today, but any defeats would ramp up the pressure.

It is easy to see Ranieri's point, though. Whatever happens over the final seven games of the season, this has already been an incredible campaign for his side. The gap to fifth place is a whopping 15 points, so at the very least Champions League football looks assured, and should they go seven points clear of Spurs with six games remaining with a win here, the title would be almost within their grasp too. Rewind a year and Leicester were bottom of the Premier League table and looking certainties for relegation, so the transformation in that time is remarkable.

It was actually almost a year ago to the day - on April 4, 2015 - that Leicester's great escape started and they managed to cling on to their Premier League status. They beat West Ham United 2-1 that day to spark a run of seven wins, one draw and just one defeat from their final nine games - a magnificent run of form that, in hindsight, gave a glimpse of what we could expect this season. After 31 games of last season, though, they were still bottom with only 25 points, whereas now they are a staggering 41 points better off.

In many ways the season has been a tale of two halves for Leicester as well. Their form has remained constant throughout, more so than any other team in the league, but the manner in which they have picked up their wins has changed. At the start of the campaign they were simply outscoring opposition - if the team they were playing scored two, Leicester would score three or four. It was brilliant to watch and certainly worked for the Foxes, but recently they have been tighter at the back and less productive going forward - largely due to teams changing their own style when they face Ranieri's side.

Indeed, four of their last five matches have ended 1-0 to Leicester, which was a rare scoreline in the first half of the season. Crucially, though, they are still winning matches, and one of the hallmarks of their season has been their ability to bounce back from disappointments. Many thought the last-gasp defeat to Arsenal would spark a collapse, but they have since picked up 13 points from 15 available to them. They also suffered a minor dip in form around the turn of the year, but come into today's game having lost just one of their 12 league outings in 2016.

Their change of style is perhaps best illustrated by their clean sheet record in both halves of the season. The Foxes have kept nine in their last 13 league outings, whereas in their opening 18 games of the campaign they kept just three. Going into today's game they have kept three in a row, and even more impressively have stopped the opposition from scoring in six of their last seven home league games.

Leicester boast the best home record in the Premier League this season, picking up the same amount of points as Spurs but managing it in one less game than their title rivals. They have only lost once at the King Power in the league all season, and that run stretches back 18 games if you include the tail end of last season. Indeed, their only two home league defeats in the last 12 months have been to Chelsea on their way to the title last season, and Arsenal back in September. Since that defeat to the Gunners they are unbeaten in 11, with seven wins and four draws in that time. Yet still, they are even better away than they are in front of their own fans!

It is a daunting task for Southampton today, then, but they will be coming into the match in fairly confident mood. As mentioned earlier, the Saints have been fairly erratic this season, going on a really good run of form but then following that with a prolonged slump. Even so, they are still very much in the European race as we enter the home straight, and a victory today would move them level with Manchester United for a few hours at least.

West Ham's dropped points at home to Crystal Palace yesterday would have been a boost to the Saints, who now trail Slaven Bilic's men by four points, although any Champions League hopes were nudged further away by Manchester City's victory over Bournemouth. It is an outside bet, but the Saints are by no means out of the running when it comes to the top four just yet. Victory today would see them close the gap to City back to four points and, with the unpredictable nature of this season, that is by no means an unassailable gap.

The Saints went on a spell of just one win in 10 games from November into the new year that saw them slide down the table, but they have since responded by losing just two of their last 11. They experienced an immediate upturn in fortunes when Forster returned to the side and, while they suffered a blip with back-to-back defeats at the hands of Chelsea and Bournemouth, followed by a draw with Southampton, they recovered before the international break and come into this match on the back of consecutive wins.

The most recent of those was a particularly morale-boosting one too. The Saints looked on course for a home defeat at the hands of Liverpool when goals from Coutinho and Sturridge in quick succession gave the Reds a cushion midway through the first half, but Southampton came out almost as a different team after the interval. Mane missed a penalty in the opening exchanges of the second half, but it didn't prove costly in the end as he scored either side of a Pelle strike to launch a dramatic comeback in the final half an hour and win 3-2.

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The main concern for Ronald Koeman right now will be that the clean sheets have dried up. They went on a fantastic run upon Forster's return to the side where they kept six clean sheets in a row, but since then they have failed to keep any in their last five outings, conceding eight goals in that time. That of course puts more pressure on them to score at the other end, but only two teams in the top half have scored fewer this season.

More evidence of their erratic nature this season comes away from home, where Southampton have only lost one of their last five games following a run of four consecutive defeats. The recent run has seen them pick up three victories and take points off the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal in their own backyards, but they also fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. Only two teams - Everton and Spurs - have conceded fewer goals on the road this season, but only three have scored fewer too.

Their away record in the league this season stands at won five, drawn five and lost five, so it is hard to predict what we might get this afternoon. Three of their final six games after today come away from home, but two of those are against Everton, who have been poor at Goodison this season, and rock-bottom Aston Villa. They also have Newcastle, Man City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace lest to play this term, from which they need 14 points if they are to surpass last season's total.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the King Power, which means that it is time for a prediction! This really is a tough one to call. Leicester have to be favourites considering their form this season and their home advantage, but Southampton will not make it easy for the Foxes. A victory would do so much for their title chances, though, so I'm backing them to pick up a 2-1 win.

Leicester have only lost one of their last five league meetings with Southampton, including three victories, but the majority of those have come in the lower leagues. By contrast they have only won one of their last eight top-flight meetings, with four draws and three defeats in that time.

Southampton have only ever won once away to Leicester in nine Premier League visits, though, with that victory coming all the way back in December 2001. It was a comprehensive one as the Saints ran out 4-0 winners at Filbert Street, but their other eight visits have yielded two draws and six defeats.

One of those defeats came on their last visit as Mahrez scored twice towards the tail end of last season to hand the Foxes to 2-0 victory and further aid their great escape, but Leicester needed a late rescue job from Vardy to save them in the reverse fixture this season. Goals from Fonte and Van Dijk gave Southampton a 2-0 lead at St Mary's, only for Vardy to score in the 66th minute and then again in the 91st to rescue a point for his side back in October.

Right, we're just about ready to go at a rocking King Power Stadium here! Can Leicester hold their nerve and capitalise on Tottenham's slip-up yesterday?

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Leicester get us underway for his crucial match as they look to go seven points clear at the top of the table.

The noise, as ever, is great inside the King Power Stadium today. Leicester have made a reasonably bright start, winning an early free kick and corner, but neither come to anything.

Southampton can't get out at the moment, with Leicester pressing high up the field and running very direct lines when they do have the ball. It's been a positive start from the hosts.

Forster is called into action for the first time as Albrighton drifts a cross towards Mahrez at the back post, but the big keeper is off his line to pluck it out of the sky with one hand.

Forster has to be alert again here as Bertrand sells his keeper a little short with a back-pass, which immediately interests Vardy. Forster is quick of his line to clear the danger again, though.

Southampton have just settled into a game a little more in the last couple of minutes, seeing more of the ball and getting better territory too. They have even managed to quieten the crowd down a little.

Good play from Vardy as he chases one down the channel and beats Bertrand to it. He whips a low ball towards Okazaki at the near post and he tries a flick, but he is well marshalled and the ball goes behind for a corner.

The corner comes to nothing, but Leicester win a throw moments later and Fuchs arrows it into the middle. It is flicked on to Morgan at the back post and he takes it down well, but his effort is deflected wide for another corner.

Leicester have had 66% possession in the opening exchanges here, but still no real chances to speak of. It is another sign of how Leicester have had to adapt their game, as they were so used to having less of the ball earlier in the season and were able to hit the opposition on the break.

Mahrez escapes Targett for a moment down the right, latching on to Simpson's long pass over the top. His first touch is perfect into his path and he plays an early low ball in, but again the defence just beats Okazaki to the cross.

Great play from Vardy has collects a Mahrez pass before driving to the byline and sending a low ball into the box. Okazaki is just short of reaching it, though, and it rolls right across the box to safety.

A rare foray forward from Southampton as they get behind the Leicester defence for the first time. Davis threads a pass through for Pelle down the right before getting in the box for the cross, but it goes just too high for him and Morgan clears it behind for a corner.

Schmeichel's punch from the resulting corner is not particularly convincing under a challenge from Pelle and it falls to Van Dijk, but he has a swing and a miss at the ball and eventually Leicester are able to clear their lines.

No clear-cut chances for either side so far, but Leicester do seem up for it, with this man leading the line full of his usual energy.

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Good spell of possession and pressure from Leicester as they win the ball back inside the Southampton half on a few occasions when it looked as though Southampton may have won it back, but Vardy then gives the ball away to Mane and the Saints are able to come forward, eventually winning a corner.

Still Leicester continue to apply most of the pressure, but Southampton have remained resolute so far. They are challenging the hosts to break them down, and so far they haven't managed it.

CHANCE! Southampton come up with a decent chance as Cedric puts a cross into the box for Pelle, who steers a decent header narrowly over the top. It was a long way out for a header, though, so it would have been some finish from the Italian had he scored there.

CHANCE! Oh my word, what a chance this is for Southampton! Mane is released clean through on goal by a simple poke through from Pelle, and suddenly he only has Schmeichel to beat. The keeper is in no-man's land and Mane takes it round the Dane, but Simpson has sprinted all the way back and gets a crucial block in to avoid a certain goal!

There was a hint of a handball against Simpson in that block, and the replay shows that it did strike his arm, but it was tucked right into his body and would have hit him anyway without the arm there so the ref is right not to point to the spot.

SAVE! Southampton are on top right now, and they almost take the lead in spectacular fashion. An initial corner comes to nothing, but Fonte then picks the ball up around 30 yards from goal. Rather than lifting it back into the area, he instead chooses to go for goal himself and Schmeichel needs to make a fine fingertip save to tip the swerving strike over the top.

SHOT! Another shooting chance for Southampton as Clasie wins a challenge against Mahrez just outside the area before letting fly. His effort is always rising, though, and ends up a couple of yards over the top.

First blood goes to Leicester as they take another mini step closer to the title! It is the captain who has it too, staying up from a corner for a second ball into the box. It arrives from Fuchs as he swings a beauty into the middle, and Morgan beats Clasie to it to nod it in off the post!

Leicester were on top for the first half an hour in this match, but that goal comes against the run of play. Southampton were looking dangerous immediately before the goal, but that is exactly how Leicester have struck for the majority of this season.

One goal has been enough for Leicester in each of their last three games, so it will be interesting to see how the Foxes approach the remainder of this game. Southampton now need to chase the game, which should play into the hands of the hosts' counter-attacking abilities.

Southampton have responded quite well to going behind, seeing plenty of the ball inside the Leicester half anf and going in search of an equaliser before the break. Already you can see the increased threat of Leicester on the break, though.

Fonte is very unhappy with a challenge from Vardy, which was certainly a heavy one but he got the ball and Michael Oliver correctly allowed play to continue. The two go head to head, but Oliver calms things down without the need for cards.

There was one minute signalled for added time, but we will have a little more now following that skirmish.

The first half comes to an end at the King Power Stadium, and it is Leicester who have the lead at the interval and are on course to go seven points clear at the top of the table. Leicester were the better side for half an hour, but the vast majority of the chances in that first half fell the way of Southampton. Leicester got their goal against the run of play, but that is how they have done it for most of the season.

The goal arrived from the captain just seven minutes before half time when Fuchs swung a delightful ball into the box that Morgan met with a fine header to steer it in off the post. It was the skipper's first goal of the season and came at a time when his side were on the back foot. As things stand, that is enough to send his side ever closer to the Premier League title.

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In truth, that was Leicester's one and only chance of the half. Fuchs did have one sight of goal early on, but it was never troubling Forster and the majority of openings have gone the way of Southampton. The best of the lot by some distance went the way of Mane after he was sent clean through on goal and beat Kasper Schmeichel. However, Simpson had tracked him all the way and blocked his subsequent effort o prevent a certain goal. The ball did strike the defender's hand, but it was tucked into his body and Oliver was right not to award a penalty.

Pelle was the man who released Mane through on goal for that chance, and the Italian has had one sight of goal himself when he steered a header towards the top corner from just inside the edge of the box. It was always going to be a difficult one for the Italian, but it was the best chance of the opening half an hour for either side. Fonte has also seen a long-range strike tipped over by Schmeichel, while Clasie fired an effort of his own moments later during a purple patch for the visitors.

KICKOFF: Southampton get us back underway for the second half here, and the visitors have made a change at the break, with Dusan Tadic replacing Targett.

YELLOW CARD! A yellow card within 15 seconds of the half starting, and it goes to Wanyama. The midfielder's touch was loose and Vardy was immediately on to it, pushing it past the Kenyan and racing through. Wanyama blocked him off and there were calls for red as Vardy may well have been clean through, but Oliver only shows the yellow.

Seeing that decision again, it was a borderline one. I'm not sure whether any covering defenders would have caught Vardy there, and you could certainly see an argument for a red card. Wanyama can consider himself lucky that he hasn't become the first player in Premier League history to be sent off four times in the same season.

YELLOW CARD! Drinkwater becomes the second name in the book for dragging Tadic down after a tussle between the two.

Tadic has been involved in a few fractious moments already having come on as a half-time sub. He looks like he has been told to get amongst these Leicester players.

Not a bad time for captain Morgan to end his drought...

35 - Leicester captain Wes Morgan scored for the first time in his last 35 Premier League appearances (since May 2015). Timely. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 3, 2016

No chances to speak of yet in this second half, but a one-goal lead doesn't exactly feel safe for Leicester at the moment. Southampton are carrying a threat, although the more they come forward, the more space there will be for Leicester to exploit.

So nearly a chance for Leicester as Morgan plays the ball up to Vardy, who controls it while under pressure and back-heels it to Okazaki. If he leaves it then it will go through to Albrighton in space, but Okazaki gets a touch and can't get it under his spell.

SAVE! Leicester are so close to getting a second, but Forster prevents what looked to be a certain own goal! It was a sweeping move from Leicester down the right as Mahrez played through Drinkwater, who in turn bent an early cross towards the path of Vardy. Fonte is on the stretch to stop it reaching the striker and in doing so lobs the ball over Forster, but the keeper responds with a brilliant save.

How big could that Forster save prove to be? Southampton have gone straight on the offensive after it and have Leicester pinned right back now, with the Foxes unable to get out of their own third. Really good pressure from Southampton, but it eventually comes to nothing.

LEICESTER SUB: The hosts make their first change of the afternoon as Leonardo Ulloa replaces Okazaki.

This match really is hanging in the balance at the moment. There haven't been a huge amount of clear-cut chances, but it still feels as though one goal won't be enough. A second for Leicester would be a huge relief - the tension is starting to grow!

Southampton win a free kick inside the Leicester half, but Davis's floated delivery is comfortably dealt with by Morgan. The back four for Leicester have been impressive once again today.

SHOT! Bertrand picks the ball up on the left side and drives into the box, but Pelle gets in his way and in the end the full-back can only fire a harmless strike into the side-netting.

WHAT A MISS! Oh my word, Leicester have just missed an absolute sitter to perhaps wrap this one up! It is quite brilliant build-up play from the hosts down the left, with Drinkwater back-heeling the ball through to Vardy, who keeps his composure and bides his time on the byline before poking the ball across goal. Simpson is racing in at the back post with a gaping goal in front of him, but he puts it straight at Forster from point-blank range.

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Southampton make their final two changes of the afternoon as Charlie Austin and James Ward-Prowse replace Clasie and Davis.

A hint of a penalty shout for Southampton here as Austin's cross hits Huth on the hand, but it was from point-blank range and Oliver immediately shakes his head.

YELLOW CARD! Tadic goes into the book for remonstrating with the referee after being penalised for a high foot.

Southampton are knocking on the door here, but Morgan in particular is sending them packing every time. It has been a towering performance from the skipper so far, but they have 13 more minutes to hold out here.

SAVE! Good chance for Leicester to break as Mahrez releases Vardy, but the England man can't take the ball in his stride. He does manage to keep possession before a strong challenge from Van Dijk takes the ball to Mahrez, but his curling strike from range is comfortable for Forster.

LEICESTER SUB: Another change for the hosts, and Mahrez's afternoon is over and Ranieri replaces him with Demarai Gray.

A wayward headed clearance from Morgan goes straight up in the air and puts Schmeichel under pressure, but with two Southampton players challenging with him, the keeper collects it calmly.

SHOT! Leicester are still searching for that second goal and Drinkwater looks to get it here, cutting inside from the right and letting fly from range, but his strike goes comfortably wide.

This match in on a knife edge at the moment, and I feel we could be in for a cracking finale. Southampton are coming forward and every time they do Leicester hearts will be racing, but then the hosts hit on the break. Both sides look capable of getting the game's crucial second goal at the moment.

CHANCES! More chances for Leicester to kill this game off! First Kante brings it forward on a counter and feeds it to Ulloa, but he takes too long on the ball and a clear chance goes begging without him getting a shot away. Albrighton picks the loose ball up before sliding it inside the full-back for Vardy, but he is denied from a tight angle by Forster, who really has kept his side in this game.

The atmosphere inside the King Power right now is superb, as you might expect. They are urging their side over the line here!

YELLOW CARD! Fuchs picks up a late yellow card for time wasting.

LEICESTER SUB: The hosts make their third and final change, and it is Albrighton who makes way to be replaced by Nathan Dyer.

Well this is an atmosphere killer! The fourth official Lee Mason signals for FIVE added minutes at the end of this match - can Leicester hold on?

Vardy does a dive in front of the referee to show what he thinks of Southampton's attempts to win a free kick and finally get out of the corner where Leicester have kept the ball for the majority of the last five minutes. Southampton do eventually get the ball upfield, though, and win a free kick...

Simpson is there to make the clearance, and when it arrives back in the middle Leicester see it out for a goal kick. Just one minute left!

Leicester hold out and move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table! The Foxes are now only four wins away from the title now courtesy of a fourth consecutive 1-0 victory, this time courtesy of a Wes Morgan header. The fairytale continues for the Foxes, and in truth but for a number of fine saves from Fraser Forster, it could have been more comfortable for them this afternoon.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for another huge day in the Premier League title race as Leicester take another big step towards making history courtesy of a 1-0 win over Southampton. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too. The later Premier League kickoff today sees Manchester United host Everton, and our live coverage of that one is already underway here. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!