Leicestershire

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Marti Cifuentes wants Leicester to build on their dramatic win at Norwich as they return from the international break with the visit of high-flying Stoke City.

The Foxes ended a five-match winless run in the Championship by coming from behind to win 2-1 at the lowly Canaries on 8 November to climb to 12th, four points outside the play-off places.

The Potters are third in the table ahead of their trip to the King Power Stadium (15:00 GMT) while Leicester are winless in five home games since August, have gone nine games without a clean sheet and have only scored five goals in their past six matches.

Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester: "All the games are big and important. We want to build on the good result we got at Norwich.

"We need to be ready because we know they are a dangerous team and they have the best defensive record in the league. Hopefully we can deliver a good performance."

City will again be without keeper Jakub Stolarczyk (groin) who Cifuentes said is "getting better" while Ben Nelson misses out after being stretchered off at Carrow Road, though he could return to training next week.

Victor Kristiansen has had knee surgery and it "will take some weeks until he's recovered".

Defender Caleb Okoli could feature after returning to training following a knock at Norwich, having started the past four games.

Amid recent speculation about points deductions, Cifuentes said he has been aware of talk about potential PSR penalties "since day one" but added: "It's nothing that affects us. My job is to make things as good as possible, improve the players on the pitch – it is nothing to do with me."

He would not be drawn on speculation about a sporting director being drafted in to work alongside him, adding: "When it comes to structural changes there's not much I can say. The club wants to improve.

"I cannot give a timeframe or how this will develop. It's not for me to comment on things (above my position)."

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

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Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

Leicester City return to Championship action after the international break as they welcome high-flying Stoke City to the King Power on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Foxes lie 12th, four points below the play-off places, having come from behind to claim a dramatic late win at Norwich in their final game before the break to end a five-match winless run in which they claimed just two points.

Off the back of three straight wins, the Potters went down to a late winner at home to leaders Coventry last time out and slipped to third, two points behind second-placed Middlesbrough.

• Leicester City have won their past two league games against Stoke and are looking for three consecutive wins over the Potters for the first time since March 1977.

• Stoke City have won one of their past 12 league games against Leicester (D6 L5), winning 1-0 in the Premier League back in January 2015.

• Leicester go into this game six points behind Stoke in the Championship table. The Foxes have won just one of their past 25 league games when trailing a side by 6+ points in the table going into the game (D4 L20), winning 2-1 at Tottenham in January.

• Stoke have won their past two away league games and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since a run of four in November/December 2005. They've already won as many away games in 2025/26 as they managed in the entirety of 2024/25 (4).

• Leicester's Abdul Fatawu ranks first for ball carries (291), shots after a ball carry (28) and ball carry distance (3,448 metres) in the Championship this season.