Paulo Sousa takes his Leicester side to recently relegated Burnley on Saturday afternoon, as the Foxes manager looks for his first three points in charge.
So far City have picked up just a point from their opening two fixtures against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough respectively, but have shown encouraging signs that more will arrive soon.
Hosts Burnley have enjoyed a better start to the campaign, grabbing victory against Nottingham Forest on the opening day before claiming a hard-earned point at Ipswich last weekend.
Brian Laws’ side are one of the favourites to clinch promotion to the top flight after a solitary season in the Premier League last year which ended in relegation.
Despite going into this campaign as something of an enigma to most Burnley fans, Laws is determined to redeem himself by firing the Clarets bag into the big time at the first attempt.
For Leicester the match represents a tricky away tie, but a dominating performance against Middlesbrough should put the Foxes in good stead to claim something from the game.
Paulo Sousa is gunning for promotion of his own after coming so close to leading Swansea to the playoffs last season, aiming to help the Foxes go at least one better than their semi-final.
Vital Quotes:
Burnley forward Martin Paterson: “If there wasn’t pressure to bounce back immediately I think there would be something wrong.
“I think some people try to hide from expectation and pressure but I certainly don’t and I don’t think this group of lads does.”
Leicester assistant Bruno Oliveira: “Our start has been difficult, not so lucky on the fixtures because we have just had Middlesbrough who have invested a lot of money in the summer, bought a lot of good quality players to push for promotion and now we have Burnley which has the most stability.
“They have been together for two or three years now, they know each other pretty well and they have their principles very stabilised.
“They have their own identity and are very strong, and at the moment, for me, they are the best prepared team in the Championship.”
Burnley Team News:
Burnley will be without the services of defender David Edgar, who was sent off against Ipswich.
Midfielder Chris McCann is sidelined for six months with a knee injury, joined by Michael Duff who will sit out with a calf problem.
Player to watch: Martin Paterson
The 23-year-old lit up the Championship in Burnley’s successful promotion year, and will be looking to achieve the same once again.
Despite usually being employed as a forward, Paterson has been drawn out wide under Brian Laws’ 4-5-1 system.
The forward remains a significant danger to the Foxes backline however, with pace to burn and a clinical nous in front of goal that most strikers would crave.
Leicester City Team News:
Portuguese centre back Miguel Vitor is still out with a calf injury, but should return to training shortly.
Meanwhile Matty Fryatt and Paul Gallagher are both pushing hard for first team recalls, with new signing Michael Lamey also hoping to oust Robbie Neilson from his right back spot.
Player to watch: DJ Campbell
The former-Birmingham man could be crucial to City’s chances of winning tomorrow with a clinical performance.
An excellent performance in build-up play against Middlesbrough was sadly not matched by his final efforts as the Foxes couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Under Paulo Sousa the player looks reborn however, and with the right service could prove to be one of the best strikers in the division.
Match Facts & Stats
– Despite Leicester’s poor record against Burnley they have only lost once in their last nine visits to Turf Moor, stretching back to 1978.
– They have however, only beaten the Clarets twice in the last ten meetings between the two sides.
– Historically, goals are not common. In 10 matches only 11 strikes have found their way into the net.
– Matty Fryatt needs one more goal to reach 50 league strikes for Leicester.
Ref Watch:
G Eltringham
Match Prediction:
Burnley 0-0 Leicester. Thriller.
Next Fixtures:
Tuesday 24th August
League Cup
Burnley: Morecambe (A)
Leicester: Leeds (A)
