'We've had some terrible luck with this referee'published at 15:04 23 November
15:04 23 November
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Leicester boss Steve Cooper, speaking to TNT Sports: "We’ve had some terrible luck with this referee. That's continued today. There’s also the game to talk about. Tough first half in terms of Chelsea territory and dominance with the ball. We gave away a poor goal. It should have been 0-0. We had two good chances ourselves in the first half.
"Defensively we were generally OK. We need to be showing good courage and belief. If we do that we can create chances and be a threat. We’ll always be disappointed with the goals we conceded.
"The big moment is the first penalty [not given], it’s clear what happened there. The second one was offside [before VAR] and you see how onside he was. That was the story of the officials’ game. You can [speak to them] after 30 minutes. I’m not sure if I will or won’t."
Leicester 1-2 Chelsea - send us your thoughtspublished at 14:35 23 November
Sutton's predictions: Leicester v Chelseapublished at 19:02 22 November
19:02 22 November
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.
For week 12 he takes on The Farm singer and Liverpool fan Peter Hooton.
The Farm's new single, Forever & Ever, is out now and their new album, Let The Music (Take Control), is released in May 2025.
Sutton's prediction: 1-3
Enzo Maresca is back at Leicester for the first time since he left to take charge of Chelsea in the summer, and I actually think his return will be quite straightforward for him and his side.
Leicester will be pretty happy with the way they have started the season, given they had to replace Maresca, but I still think Steve Cooper faces a hard job to keep them up.
The only thing that makes me question whether Chelsea will win is because you never know quite where teams are after the international break, and also how many of their injured players will still be out.
Cole Palmer was one of them, but I am willing to bet he will start this game. If he is fit, they will have a little bit too much for Leicester.
Peter Wooton's prediction: 1-2
Chelsea looked like a basket case in the summer but they impressed me at Anfield earlier this month - they had a gameplan and played really well. I texted the Chelsea fans I know, saying 'crisis over'. Moises Caicedo is looking good and Nicolas Jackson has started scoring but it is Cole Palmer who makes them tick. He is a joy to watch, like a park footballer really - he appears lazy and nonchalant, but he is total class.
What reception will Maresca receive on return to 'fantastic' Leicester?published at 11:42 22 November
11:42 22 November
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The reception given by Leicester fans to Enzo Maresca at the King Power Stadium on Saturday lunchtime will be of particular interest given their recent shared history.
Maresca won the Championship with the Foxes last season with an impressive 97 points but chose to accept an offer to take charge of this weekend's opponents Chelsea rather than lead Leicester's return to the Premier League.
Nevertheless, the Italian spoke in glowing terms about his title-winning year in the East Midlands in his pre-match news conference.
"I'm excited and thankful, it was a fantastic season," he said. "The owner and his family are fantastic people. They care for players, staff, all of the people that work in the club. You can see that."
While Maresca's record at Leicester was impressive, some supporters struggled slightly with his patient brand of football at times. However, Pep Guardiola's former assistant was keen to praise the bond created within the club.
"It was a fantastic season because I met good people," he said. "There was a fantastic connection between the players and staff, and that is something you have to create to be successful.
"I'm still in contact with them - it was fantastic."
Goals not a problem but woes in defence aboundpublished at 08:59 22 November
08:59 22 November
Arnav Bhatia Fan writer
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Goals win games, but securing three points has not regularly been the case for Leicester City since their return to the Premier League this season.
Promoted teams usually struggle to score, but the Foxes managed to do so in each of their first 10 league games. The streak ended against Manchester United, and while the goalscoring record was impressive, Leicester have just two wins to show for it.
That is because defensive struggles have nullified their proficiency at the other end. Leicester have conceded 21 times – fourth highest in the league – and a figure that could have been higher if not for Mads Hermansen’s heroics in goal. Only two teams have conceded a higher tally for expected goals against (xGA) than Leicester’s 20.
Individual mistakes have plagued Leicester’s game, and it’s not just the backline at fault. The midfield pivot has been sloppy with their marking, losing their men several times.
While the players must take responsibility, Steve Cooper has failed to effectively implement his tactics on the pitch. They have allowed 194 opposition shots (second highest in the league), 114 passes into the penalty area (third highest), and 367 touches in the penalty area (third highest).
Additionally, the manager has yet to address Leicester’s defensive vulnerabilities in wide areas. He brought Ricardo Pereira into the line-up to shore up the backline, but the full-back’s injury leaves the manager with his original pairing of James Justin and Victor Kristiansen.
Leicester would consider avoiding relegation a success this season and are currently on course to do so, sitting 15th in the league. However, it appears that the team could be doing better.
Cooper has failed to bring out the best of this talented young Foxes squad, and more lacklustre defeats could signal the end of a short managerial stint.
🎧 Time to change formation?published at 07:59 22 November
07:59 22 November
The latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast has landed.
BBC Radio Leicester's Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by former Leicester goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell and Foxes fan Paul Sherwood to discuss Steve Cooper's formation, Leicester's injury problems and the issues over their shirt sponsor.
Leicester ease fears after sponsor bankruptcy reportspublished at 16:28 21 November
16:28 21 November
Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter
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Leicester have eased fears over their deal with shirt sponsors BC.Game after the online betting site was reportedly declared bankrupt.
The Foxes have been assured the issue will not impact their contract with their main sponsor.
BC.Game signed a two-year deal with the Foxes in the summer but have reportedly been declared bankrupt by a court in the Caribbean nation of Curacao, where they are registered.
A Leicester spokesman said: “We have been and continue to be in regular discussions with BC.Game with regard to an active legal case in Curacao.
"BC.Game have provided the club with the strongest assurances that they are actively appealing this case, and that the process which has been initiated in Curacao is administrative in nature and has not arisen due to any concerns with their financial standing.
”BC.Game have further assured us that they have no issues with liquidity and that they remain fully committed to meeting their ongoing contractual and financial obligations, including to the club, and that this case will not impact on BC.Game’s continuing international operations."
Image source, Getty Images
