AKARTA – Leicester City will host Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday evening (January 15) in a clash between two teams battling at the top of the Premier League. Both teams are coming off wins against their lower division opponents in the FA Cup third round last weekend. Victory in this match can help them distance themselves from the degradation zone.
Leicester City finally broke through five consecutive defeats in the Premier League with a major 6-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday January 11. It was their first victory since Ruud van Nslagrooy (RvN) took over as manager at the start of December.
However, despite managing to score six goals, Leicester’s defensive issues are still in the spotlight. In the previous five defeats, Leicester have recorded at least two goals in each match. Even in a win against QPR, they still recorded two goals, highlighting the need for improvements at the back.
If they lose again with a breach of more than two goals in this match, Leicester will set a poor record for the last time in 2001. Furthermore, they are currently equaling the record for the lowest number of clean sheets in the history of the Premier League, having only twice managed to stay clean in the last 43 matches.
Leicester now sit in 19th place, two points from the safety zone. Their position has been threatened by the impressive performance of Ipswich Town who have just won four points from their last two matches. However, playing a day earlier than Ipswich gave Leicester a chance to topple their rivals.
on the other hand, Crystal Palace is also in a difficult situation. Although they are currently five points above the degradation zone, their inconsistent performance has left Olivier Glasner’s side to remain vigilant. In the first meeting between the two teams in September, Palace managed to salvage a point thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty in the dying minutes, although Leicester survived 2-0.
Palace will come into this match with great confidence after five games without defeat. If they manage to retain this record, Palace will make new history with six games unbeaten, something they have never achieved in the Premier League era.
Leicester CityLeicester will lose their main goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen, who is still out due to injuries. James Stolar is expected to return to main goalkeeper, replacing Danny Ward who lost his place after a poor performance before Christmas.
Jannik Vestergaard is believed to have appeared after an absence in the win against QPR due to injuries. However, there is some good news with Kasey McAteer’s return to a full workout. The player is expected to be available after failing a weekend fitness test.
Regardless, Leicester still have to play without Wilfid Ndidi, Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu who is still recovering from injuries.
Crystal Palace’s Crow Palace have also suffered injuries, with Adam Wharton and Will Hughes still missing their central level. Both players were replaced by Cheick Doucoure and Jefferson Lerma during the last match.
The additional two came after several players, including Dean Henderson, Maxence Lacroix, Tyrick Mitchell and Jean-Philippe Mateta, were hampered by fitness issues due to illness. However, all four players are expected to return for this match, with Mateta very likely to replace Eddie Nketiah who disappointed in the FA Cup.
Leicester have major pressure to take advantage of this match on the pitch as a moment of recovery. Although Palace have a solid record for late losses, their inconsistency can be used by the home team. The support of the fans at the King Power Stadium can be decisive.
an City (4-2-3-1): Jusquette stolar; Justin, Coady, Faes, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannouss, Majididi; Vardy
Crystal Palace (3-4-3):Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Lerma, Doucoure, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze
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