Leicester City Previews: ‘Nothing but the Huth’ – Happy 60th Birthday, Mr. Chairman!

Leicester City vs Newcastle

07/04/18

Kick-off: 3pm

Preview:

Leicester’s first win at the Amex last week couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only is this the business end of the season, but it also meant we kept the pressure on Burnley, especially as we face the Clarets next week.

Next up for the Foxes is Rafa’s Newcastle United. A side that have been battling to stay in the league all season, but seemingly look to have steadied the ship somewhat in recent times and could be a threat for Leicester; Leicester’s performances this season haven’t exactly been ones to remember.

Newcastle are currently in 12th position in the league and a win this weekend could see them move to the top half of the league, which would be a remarkable achievement considering their awful start to the campaign.

Puel has other interests at hand- European football. We will need to make sure we overcome games like this against teams that will play for the draw and be hard to break down, something that Leicester haven’t been particularly good at in previous times.

An interesting game lies ahead in the East Midlands.

Stats:

Leicester are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games, winning two. However, Leicester have also drawn their last three home league games, with their last home win coming back in January against Watford. Following on from that, the flip side of the above stat, the last time Leicester lost a home game was back in December, losing 3-0 to a rampant Crystal Palace side, which puts them in good stead to win this weekend.

Newcastle on the other hand have won their last two games against Southampton and Huddersfield, 3-0 and 1-0 respectively. They’ve only lost one of their last seven league games, including a 1-0 win against Manchester United in February. The only defeat in that time was against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, which is nothing to be ashamed of considering how good Liverpool have been this year.

On the road, Newcastle’s form hasn’t been ideal, with their last away victory coming back on the 1st January against Stoke, Since then, two defeats and two draws haven’t helped their cause and against a team like Leicester who tend to produce the goods at home, this will be a tough task for Rafa Benitez.

A defeat this weekend for Newcastle could see them drop to 14th if results go against them, whereas for Leicester, a win could see them leapfrog Burnley, if Sean Dyche’s men slip up at Watford.

Prediction:

I think Leicester will run out winners in this fixture; being at home and having a full-strength squad being the main reasons.

Newcastle will be a tough test like every Premier League game, but it’s Newcastle’s inconsistency in performances and results that could sway things at the King Power Stadium.

Dwight Gayle looks a striker short of confidence, Islam Slimani will be ineligible for the match as he’s on loan from Leicester and Joselu was out with injury last week and is a doubt for this weekend.

In terms of the home side, Matty James has be ruled out for the rest of the season with an achilles problem, which is such a shame for him because he was starting to work his way back into regular first-team football. Bar that, Puel has a full-strength squad to pick and choose from.

This game also marks the Chairman’s 60th birthday weekend with fans receiving a free drink upon arrival to the ground. Our owners really are class!

It’s on that happy note that I feel they’ll be a real buzz inside the KP on Saturday, which will instil confidence on the pitch, hopefully giving us another three points in our quest for European football.

Score Prediction:

Leicester 2-0 Newcastle