Following highly-contrasting results in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Leicester City and Swansea City return to Championship action as they meet at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Foxes put a poor first-half performance behind them to beat Birmingham City by three goals, while the Swans were hit for five at Premier League Bournemouth.
Match preview
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After an uncharacteristically-poor first-half performance from Leicester City against Tony Mowbray's Birmingham in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, Enzo Maresca brandished his side's opening 45 minutes as a disaster during his half-time debrief, but a couple of alterations at the break turned the tie in the Foxes' favour.
The second-tier leaders were not able to control the contest in their usual manner in the first period, but the introductions of Ricardo Pereira and James Justin provided stability for the hosts, with Jamie Vardy, Yunus Akgun and Denis Praet finding the back of John Ruddy's net to book their place in the fifth round.
For only the second time this season, Leicester are currently enduring a two-game winless run in the Championship following a loss in the M69 derby against Coventry City before sharing the spoils with Ipswich Town last Monday, but Maresca's men remain top of the league standings, seven points ahead of Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys in second.
The Foxes' first-choice midfield of Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wilfred Ndidi possesses the pedigree to ply its trade in the Premier League, but with the latter set for a period on the sidelines, Maresca is keen to sign fellow Italian Stefano Sensi from Inter Milan in what remains of the January transfer window.
Stephy Mavididi's trademark runs off the left flank - followed by a curling finish - have caused havoc for the majority of second-tier defences this term, with the 25-year-old thriving in a side set for an immediate return to the top flight, providing 13 goal contributions in 28 matches.
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Swansea supporters will be sick of the sight of the South Coast after 5-0 defeats at both Southampton and Bournemouth over the past month, with the Welsh outfit falling victims to a clinical performance from the Premier League Cherries on Thursday night in the FA Cup fourth round.
All the damage was done during a rampant first half from Andoni Iraola's men, as Lloyd Kelly, Alex Scott, Luis Sinisterra, David Brooks and Dominic Solanke all breached the net of Andrew Fisher, who did not manage to make a single save over the course of 90 minutes at the Vitality Stadium.
Luke Williams has endured a mixed start to life as Swansea manager following the sacking of Michael Duff in December, with the former Notts County boss winning his first game against Morecambe in the FA Cup before earning just the single second-tier point from clashes against Birmingham City and Russell Martin's Saints.
The Swans currently occupy 16th position in the Championship standings, sitting 10 points behind in-form Coventry City in sixth, meaning a push for a playoff spot in the final months of the campaign feels slightly unrealistic for a side who have won just two of their last eight league matches.
Team News
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Leicester are set to welcome back striker Patson Daka from his involvement with Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations, with the 25-year-old flying back to England on Friday.
Harry Souttar remains on international duty at the Asian Cup with Australia, but Maresca will still be able to employ his first-choice centre-back partnership of Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes.
Abdul Fatawu received a straight red for a reckless tackle in the loss at Coventry, and the winger will serve the final match of his three-game suspension on Tuesday night.
Swansea are set to be without the services of attacker Jamal Lowe, who sustained a muscle injury during the loss to Southampton on January 20.
The ex-Bournemouth man joins fellow forward Josh Ginnelly in the Swans' medical room, with the summer arrival continuing to recover from an injury picked up in September.
Liam Walsh has not featured since the win against West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day owing to a calf injury, and the midfielder is unlikely to feature at the King Power.
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Hermansen; Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Pereira; Winks, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall; Mavididi, McAteer, Cannon
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; Darling, Wood, Humphreys, Tymon; Ashby, Grimes, Fulton; Paterson, Cullen, Yates
We say: Leicester City 3-0 Swansea City
Leicester were able to hand a number of their first-team stars a rest during the FA Cup win over Birmingham, meaning the Foxes should be raring to put Swansea to the sword at the King Power.
The Swans have been woeful during away matches against Southampton and Bournemouth over the past month, and with the Foxes runaway leaders at the top of the Championship, it is set to be another tough outing for the Welsh side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
