Relegation-threatened Leicester City will look to end their miserable run of form when they welcome a resurgent Wolverhampton Wanderers side to the King Power Stadium for a Premier League clash on Saturday.
While the Foxes are seeking to avoid a 10th successive league game without a win, the visitors are bidding to claim three consecutive top-fight victories for the first time in over a year.
Match preview
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Dean Smith's first game in charge of Leicester ended, unsurprisingly, in defeat as his side suffered a 3-1 loss away against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City last weekend.
The Citizens raced into a three-goal lead within the opening 25 minutes, before Pep Guardiola opted to ring the changes after the break, which benefitted the Foxes who pulled one back through former Man City forward Kelechi Iheanacho in the final 15 minutes.
Despite a late flurry of chances, Leicester were condemned to their 20th Premier League defeat of the season, with 12 of those taking place in their last 16 top-flight matches, and they have subsequently slipped to 19th in the table, two points adrift of safety with seven games remaining.
Leicester head into Saturday's fixture having lost each of their last five matches at the King Power Stadium in all competitions, while only basement club Southampton (10) have picked up fewer Premier League points on home soil than the Foxes (12) so far this season.
The 2015-16 champions are the only top-flight team who are yet to keep a clean sheet since the World Cup break, conceding in eight successive matches, but they have had few problems keeping Wolves quiet in recent encounters as they have kept a clean sheet in six of their last seven meetings, including an impressive 4-0 triumph at Molineux in October – a result and performance that Smith and co will be keen to replicate on Saturday.
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Following a winless run of three games against Newcastle United, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, Wolves have since claimed back-to-back home victories against Chelsea and Brentford without reply.
Maximum points were picked up in a slender 1-0 success over Chelsea a week before strikes from Diego Costa and Hwang Hee-chan – the former of whom netting his first goal for the club – helped secure a 2-0 win against Brentford last Saturday.
An upturn in form for Julen Lopetegui's side has seen them climb to 13th in the Premier League table and seven points clear of the relegation zone, but the Spaniard will feel that there is still work to be done considering their challenging fixture schedule in the coming weeks.
Saturday's trip to Leicester represents arguably the most favourable-looking remaining fixture for Wolves ahead of a potentially tricky run against Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Everton and Arsenal to conclude the campaign.
Having said that, Wolves have won just one of their last 25 away league visits to Leicester and have failed to score in all five away meetings with the Foxes in the Premier League.
Team News
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Leicester quartet Ricardo Pereira (hamstring), James Justin, Ryan Bertrand (both knee) and Jannik Vestergaard (calf) all remain sidelined due to injury, while Harvey Barnes (hamstring) and Jonny Evans (illness) – who both missed the defeat at Man City – are highly unlikely to feature but will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Smith used a back five in his first match in charge against the Citizens, but he could switch to a four-man defence on Saturday which would likely see either Caglar Soyuncu or Harry Souttar drop down to the substitute' bench.
Jamie Vardy was on the scoresheet when the Foxes thrashed Wolves six months ago, and the 35-year-old will be hoping to retain his place in attack ahead of Iheanacho and Patson Daka.
As for Wolves, Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho are still sidelined with long-term knee injuries, but Diego Costa should be fit despite suffering a knock to his knee against Brentford
The visitors will be boosted by the return of star midfielder Ruben Neves and full-back Jonny from suspension, although the duo may have to settle for a place among the replacements
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Dewsbury-Hall, Ndidi, Tielemans; Tete, Vardy, Maddison
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Semedo, Kilman, Dawson, T.Gomes; Lemina, J.Gomes, Nunes; Cunha, Costa, Sarabia
We say: Leicester City 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves will be motivated by the prospect of moving 10 points clear of the relegation zone with a victory over a Leicester side who are desperate to end their torrid run of form with a much-needed win in front of their own fans.
Both teams will view Saturday's fixtures as a winnable game in their quest to avoid the drop, but we expect the spoils to be shared in a closely-fought contest at the King Power Stadium.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
