Looking to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, league leaders Leicester City will welcome promotion-chasing Southampton to the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night for a Championship duel.
The Foxes are potentially one step away from the promised land after beating West Bromwich Albion on the weekend, whilst the Saints suffered a setback in South Wales.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following back-to-back away Championship defeats to strugglers Millwall and Plymouth Argyle - both by 1-0 scorelines - Leicester City managed to get their hunt for automatic promotion back on track during Saturday's opener in the division, earning three points against West Brom.
Goals either side of the half-time interval from Wilfred Ndidi and the always-reliable Jamie Vardy handed the Foxes a two-goal lead after 65 minutes of the contest, and although Carlos Corberan's side reduced the deficit through Jed Wallace, they were unable to complete the comeback.
Therefore, Enzo Maresca's Leicester retain their spot at the very top of the Championship standings with three matches to left to play, four points ahead of Leeds United, and if the Whites fail to beat Middlesbrough on Monday night, the Foxes can secure promotion with a victory over Southampton.
Despite missing a penalty versus Albion's Alex Palmer in the final stages of the first half last time out, veteran Vardy justified his selection in the XI with his 15th of the league term in the second period, with Zambia international Patson Daka being restricted to minutes off the bench.
With a win possibly enough to seal their promotion to the Premier League following a one-year absence, the Foxes will be hoping to continue their stellar form at the King Power this season, with Maresca's men winning 16 and collecting 49 points from 21 second-tier matches in the East Midlands.
© Reuters
After three straight wins in the Championship, Southampton's hopes of achieving a top-two finish this term suffered a massive blow on the weekend, when the Saints travelled to Cardiff City and returned to the South Coast empty-handed following a highly-disappointing performance.
Russell Martin's men looked set to extend their unbeaten run in the division to five matches when former Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo made the net ripple in the first half, but Erol Bulut's flexed their powers of recovery to steal the points, with Famara Diedhiou and 19-year-old Cian Ashford getting onto the scoresheet.
Following Saturday afternoon's last-gasp defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium, Southampton remain fourth in the second-tier table as they prepare for their final trio of fixtures, currently lying five points behind second-placed Ipswich Town, who have stuttered of late themselves.
Although not good enough to make it into the Championship's Team of the Year, the goal contributions of Adam Armstrong for the Saints could be the difference between Premier League and second-tier football next term, with the marksman bagging 20 times in 43 league appearances.
Leicester enjoyed a 4-1 victory at St Mary's during the reverse fixture in September, but Southampton were winners during their most recent visit to the King Power for a Premier League clash in August 2022, when former Birmingham City striker Che Adams netted a brace to defeat Brendan Rodgers's Foxes.
Team News
© Reuters
Making only his second start of the calendar year in the Championship on Saturday, Conor Coady played alongside Jannik Vestergaard in the backline, and it could be a similar story on Tuesday.
However, Maresca may opt to rotate his options slightly, with James Justin and Callum Doyle both respectable candidates to enter the defence.
Ricardo Pereira should be promoted to the starting XI after being an unused substitute on the weekend, despite Hamza Choudhury producing a number of key blocks.
Southampton are without the services of first-choice goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who is now sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an Achilles injury.
Changes could be in the air for the Saints following the defeat at Cardiff, with James Bree potentially entering the XI at the expense of Ryan Manning.
Club captain Jack Stephens provides an experienced option off the bench, whilst the likes of Samuel Edozie and Kamaldeen Sulemana can cause damage at the other end of the pitch.
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Hermansen; Pereira, Coady, Vestergaard, Faes; Ndidi, Winks, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Mavididi, Vardy
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Bree; Aribo, Smallbone, S Armstrong; A Armstrong, Adams, Fraser
We say: Leicester City 3-1 Southampton
Although not at their best versus West Brom - particular during the first period - Leicester got the job done, and we can imagine a similar narrative unfolding on Tuesday night.
Southampton will be sapped of energy following Saturday's last-minute defeat at Cardiff, so we are predicting back-to-back losses for the Saints.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
