Leicestershire

West Bromwich Albion will look to avoid a second consecutive loss at the Hawthorns when they host Leicester City on Friday night (20:00 BST).

The Baggies have proven to be a difficult customer on home ground over recent years but fell to Derby County in their last home match before conceding defeat again on the road against league leaders Middlesbrough.

But for Leicester, winning in West Bromwich hasn't been so difficult and they will be hungry for three points after two successive draws sees them one point outside the automatic promotion spots.

• West Bromwich Albion have lost each of their last five league matches against Leicester City, a run that stretches back to March 2018.

• Leicester have won their last six away league games against West Brom, with each win coming under a different manager (Pearson, Ranieri, Shakespeare, Puel, Rodgers, Maresca).

• West Brom lost their last home league game 1-0 against Derby, last losing consecutive league matches at the Hawthorns in October 2022.

• No Championship side have won more points from losing positions this season so far than Leicester (4), coming from behind to beat Sheffield Wednesday and draw with Oxford.

• Leicester have had the highest proportion of their total shots hit the target in the Championship this season (43%), ranking 12th for overall shots (77) but second for shots on target (33).

"[The Foxes] have not lost in 15 years at The Hawthorns.

"Friday night, under the floodlights. It probably would be a full house. Two Premier [League] sort of teams going head to head who are expected to go up. I think it's got the recipe to be a really good game."

On this week's When You're Smiling podcast, Jack Rafferty and former Leicester City goalkeeper coach and caretaker boss Mike Stowell preview the Friday night showdown at West Bromwich Albion. They also react to Marti Cifuentes comments this week after Louis Page signed his first professional contract for the club.

Listen to the full episode of When You're Smiling and more Leicester City on Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City boss Marti Cifuentes has been speaking to the media before his side's trip to West Bromwich Albion on Friday night (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines:

• There are no additional injuries following their 0-0 draw against Coventry last Saturday.

• On academy graduate Louis Page, who signed his first professional contract after making his first-team debut this season against Huddersfield Town: "I'm a big believer in Louis' talent, I think he will be important and I'm very happy on the steps he's been taking since I've been here."

• Fellow graduate Luke Thomas also signed a new deal, with Cifuentes saying that the 24-year-old is "one of the best performers" in the squad.

• On Ryan Mason's West Bromwich Albion: "They are a good team with a good manager. It's a strong club in the Championship and especially at home, it's difficult to get points there. I'm sure if we keep on improving areas of the game - I was quite happy on the last performance despite the result - I think we could get something."

• On Stephy Mavididi and his missed chance against Coventry: "When a player has the quality he's got, there's always big expectations around him him. He knew it was a big chance but the thing I value is the most is he's trying. He's trying again and again.

• "He had a very good season two years ago in the Championship so probably everyone expects him to be at the same level if not better. It's not easy for him, the last season was not the best for him."

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."