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Premier League

Mar 14, 2015 at 3pm UK

Leicester Leicester City
0-0
Hull City

Preview: Leicester City vs. Hull City

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 12 March 2015

Sports Mole previews what is arguably a must-win game for bottom-of-the-table Leicester City as they host relegation rivals Hull City at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City clash with Hull City at the King Power Stadium on what could be a defining Saturday in the Premier League survival fight.

With Sunderland facing Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers and Burnley also in action, the relegation picture may be a lot clearer come Sunday morning.

Rock-bottom Leicester are four points adrift and seven from safety, and cannot take much solace from the fact that their game in hand is the visit of Chelsea.

Although they have an otherwise comparatively friendly run-in and multiple opportunities to take points off their fellow strugglers, there is a sense that the points-parched Foxes are drinking at the last-chance saloon this weekend.

Not since Portsmouth in 2005-06 has a team stayed up having had so few points at this stage of the season – when they also had 18 from 27 games.

Nigel Pearson quickly needs Pedro Mendes and Lomana LuaLua-type figures to emerge and will be looking to the international experience and class of Esteban Cambiasso and £10m buy Andrej Kramaric to hopefully have that impact.

Tigers boss Steve Bruce may already have found their savior in the form of Dame N'Doye, who has scored three goals in three starts since his January arrival.

His strike in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on March 3 ensured that Hull have only lost one of their last five matches and sent them five points clear of trouble.

Victory in the Midlands could see the visitors climb as high as 12th in the table, although Hull may settle for a draw which would prevent them from being dragged right back into the mire and do far more for them than Leicester.

Both sides have had 10 days off and could name well-refreshed, unchanged sides. That would mean Nikica Jelavic partnering N'Doye up front for the Tigers and Paul McShane continuing to keep club captain Curtis Davies out in defence.

Injured quartet Robert Snodgrass, Liam Rosenior, James Chester and Robbie Brady remain out, but Mohamed Diame is closing in on a return to fitness following a three-month layoff and could be included in the squad.

First-choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel remains Leicester's only fitness worry and therefore Mark Schwarzer will again deputise in between the posts.

Kramaric, who has two in eight for the Foxes, is expected to lead the line ahead of David Nugent and Leonardo Ulloa as Pearson, who managed Hull in between his two spells with Leicester, sticks with the XI which started the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, and the two top-flight games before that.

Riyad Mahrez scored the only goal as Leicester won December's reverse fixture between these sides, in which Paul Konchesky and Stephen Quinn both saw red.

Leicester:

Form in Premier League: LLLLDL
Form in all competitions: LLLLDL

Possible starting lineup: Schwarzer; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Upson, Konchesky; Mahrez, James, Cambiasso, Schlupp; Kramaric

Hull:

Form in Premier League: LDWWLD

Possible starting lineup: McGregor; McShane, Dawson, Bruce; Elmohamady, Livermore, Meyler, Huddlestone, Robertson; N'Doye, Jelavic

Sports Mole says: 2-1