Return of the MON

Tonight sees the return of Martin O`Neil to Leicester for the first competitive match since he left for Celtic almost 7 years ago. Leicester can expect to face Villa`s first eleven as once again O`Neil shows how seriously he takes the League Cup.

In his time at Leicester he managed to get us to 3 finals in 4 seasons and will be looking to guide Villa to the final this season.

Although many City fans will be hoping that Leicester can spring a surprise on the Premiership team, the task will be made even more difficult with the fact that Leicester seem to be in the middle of an injury crisis. Leiceter will be missing 5 key players through injury and another 4 are expected to face late fitness tests before the game.

Vital Quotes:

Leicester City Team News:

Leicester currently have an injury crisis with several key players expected to miss tonight. Paddy McCarthy, Darren Kenton, Andy Johnson, Gareth Williams and Matty Fryatt all; missed the game against Crystal Palace and are expected to miss tonights game as well.

Also Stephen Hughes, Danny Tiatto, James Wesoloski and Levi Porter are all expected to face late fitness tests. This means that the Leicester squad is being stretched to its maximum and it will be no surprise if a few youth players are called up to the squad.

Player to watch: Richard Stearman

Recent rumours on various internet forums suggest that Martin O`Neil has been sending scouts to watch Richard Stearman in recent games and Villa are expected to make an offer for the young defender in the January transfer window.

Therefore tonight`s game will be a prime slot for Stearman to show O`Neil what he can do and if Stearman does have a good game, it could see him leaving the club come January.

Aston Villa Team News:

Gareth McCann is expected to face a late fitness test for Villa after he was left out of the draw against Fulham at the weekend.

Apart from this Villa are expected to field their strongest squad as they look to progress into the next round of the cup.

Player to watch: Gareth Barry

Gareth Barry has scored in the last two games for Villa and will be full of confidence going into the game. Leicester will need to make sure that they keep Barry on the back foot or else City could struggle to stay in the game.