Leicester City

Sports commentator Arlo White believes it will be "massive" if Leicester City manage to pick themselves up from a first defeat in six games to earn three points against second-placed Leeds United on Friday.

The Foxes have only lost back-to-back Championship games once this season.

"It will be massive. They are playing a team in Leeds United that have won eight [games] straight and are unbeaten in 11," said White on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast.

"At the start of the season, I don't think they won any of their opening three games. They won three of their opening nine, so this didn't look like it was going to be a massively dangerous Leeds United team, but the season is long and they have found their stride and they are absolutely flying.

"But every time Leicester have been tested, they have responded - except for in that Middlesbrough away game after the Leeds United midweek defeat. So there is nothing, in terms of criticism, that you could level at Leicester City for wallowing on anything that has gone wrong.

"They tend to respond very strongly, so maybe it was a timely kick up the backside before they go to Elland Road, which is one of the loudest stadiums I've ever been in. They [Leeds] are going to be well up for it on Friday, so that's what City are going to have to be prepared for.

"This may be a blessing in disguise and I have every confidence that they will respond."

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Leicester City midfielder Harry Winks says the table-topping Foxes will be up for the expectant and intense atmosphere against second-placed Leeds United at Elland Road on Friday.

The Foxes had their advantage at the Championship summit cut to nine points after being beaten by Middlesbrough last weekend, and the Whites can edge even closer if they can extend their winning run to nine games in the top-of-the-table showdown.

"I've played at Leeds before and know the atmosphere there is incredible. They will be up for it, their fans will be up for it but so will we," the former Tottenham man told BBC East Midlands Today.

"We are going to go there with a point to prove, especially after losing to Boro. We don't want to make it two defeats in a row.

"The first 15 minutes we expect them to come out and come at us with the atmosphere high.

"It's important for us to play our football to manage that and to try to settle the crowd and find our way into the game and do what we do best - and that is control the match and set the tempo."

Winks, who also spoke to BBC Sport about how he has never given up on an England recall as he he enjoys a career renaissance with the Foxes, also expects the race for automatic promotion to go to the wire.

You can read more from Winks talking about Friday's game by clicking here.

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City defender Wout Faes says the team will be looking to "get back to winning ways as soon as possible" after falling to a 2-1 defeat by Middlesbrough last time out.

The Belgian told BBC Radio Leicester that the result was "a tough one to take" but Enzo Maresca's side are fully focused on facing second-placed Leeds United.

"I think we started the game very well," said Faes on the When You're Smiling podcast.

"We got a few good opportunities and unfortunately we didn't score them. Then they got two shots on goal and scored them.

"It's football. It's good to have the opportunities but it's a little frustrating not to take them. I think we have to continue in this way. [On] Friday we have a very big game, so I look forward to whether we can hopefully make the gap a little bit bigger again."

On Daniel Farke's side narrowing the gap at the top of the table after beating Plymouth, Faes said: "You will get that, for sure - but I think we have to focus on ourselves. I think we have been doing amazingly, we are having an amazing season, we win a lot. If we keep doing a good job, we won't have to look backwards and I think that's the main aim.

"We've got a week to prepare now [to face Leeds United], so I think we will know exactly how to do it and how to approach the game. It's going to be an amazing game and I will look forward to it.

"We have a very big game and we are winning, winning, winning. If we lose one, then obviously we want to change it and get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

"Even if we had won or drawn against Middlesbrough, we would go with the same intensity, but now it makes maybe 1% extra to get the result there [at Elland Road] and get the three points."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Chris Forryan
Fan writer

To borrow Victor Meldrew's famous catchphrase: "I do not believe it."

And that was, I think, how most Leicester City fans felt watching our performance against Middlesbrough. Take nothing away from Boro - well done on the win - but that was the worst performance the Foxes have put in all season.

If one or two players have an off day the rest of the team can carry them, but picking out a man of the match was like playing spot the ball. This was a Foxes team bereft of any ideas, a team that couldn’t pass wind.

And not only could they not pass to a player in blue, most of the time they didn't even pass to an opposition player, instead passing the ball out of play like me trying to play Fifa.

But it is our own fault, in a way. The standards we have set ourselves this season are higher than a high jump world record at the Olympics.

Some 71% possession and almost 700 passes mean nothing when most of that is between your goalkeeper, defenders and Harry Winks.

Leeds United and Southampton will be the happier of the three sets of fans. But be careful - Middlesbrough may just have poked the bear.

Chris Forryan can be found at Leicester Till I Die, external

Image source, Getty Images

Following Leicester City's loss to Middlesbrough, former Foxes winger Matt Piper has been discussing what went wrong for Enzo Maresca's side and how they conceded the two goals which ended their four-game winning run in the Championship.

"The first goal, for instance, is Wout Faes' fault. You can't step out like that and be that aggressive. He's sort of curbed it under Maresca. When he first came in, we used to liken him to Caglar Soyuncu, he was a bit over-aggressive, but he can get too overzealous to go and try to win the ball," Piper said on the When You're Smiling podcast.

"Then he was out of position and he was always struggling. It was his fault, from a Leicester point of view, but you've got to play quick football to get in behind Faes. They did, they got away, they got the goal and it was a real nice finish. Listen, they deserved it. I know we had the chances, but we didn't play well.

"Enzo said to us that we all know, as fans, that we're not going to keep winning and winning and winning each week. Middlesbrough came and performed well and we weren't at the top of our game. But do we need to start battering any of the team or the manager, or go home crying thinking that we're going to get reeled in and that we're not going to go up this season? No.

"I'm still super confident in this team and that we will go up. Is this a blip and is it a disappointment? Yes, but we have to move on to Friday. Forget about this one. Work on it Monday and Tuesday with the gaffer and then just get on with it. It's one of them which you just leave behind, I think."

Listen to the full podcast here

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Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho is available for selection for the Foxes' Championship match against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The forward helped his country reach the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were beaten by hosts Ivory Coast.

"Maresca also confirmed Marc Albrighton is back for the Foxes too, following injury, while defender Ben Nelson is a doubt.

"Marc is back - he’s started to work with us," he said. "We’ll see for tomorrow.

"Ben had a kick against Watford and he’s still struggling a little bit."

With Leicester pushing to achieve promotion to the Premier League, Maresca says his side needs to be at their best to overcome a dangerous Middlesbrough team.

"We need to be at our top otherwise we will struggle," he added.

"They have good players and a good manager. After their defeat the other day, the manager said it was a lack of [ambition]. So the next game can be tough because they have something to prove."

Middlesbrough are the latest to try to stop the Foxes' march towards the title when they visit King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Enzo Maresca's side did lose the reverse fixture back in November, so will revenge be on the menu this time?

BBC Radio Leicester's Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by Phil Holloway to preview the game on the latest When You're Smiling podcast.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Former Leicester winger Matt Piper praised Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu for their parts in the Foxes' 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday:

"They were both excellent, but Mavididi was unplayable for a 30-minute spell in that first half.

"Valentin [Sheffield Wednesday's right-back] is a good player, but Mavididi absolutely had him on toast. He went past him, came inside, got a couple of shots off and nutmegged him.

"When you're a winger, your main objective to beat your full-back one on one. [When you do that] the confidence levels you gain, you feel like you can close your eyes for a second and still keep the ball, you feel like you can do anything. The only thing he didn't do is score, he was brilliant tonight.

"Fatwau wasn't quite as good but still outstanding, I thought."

On the pair's defensive contributions, Piper added: "Playing in the system that Enzo [Maresca] plays, you need a winger that's going to work. There's no point in playing this system if you've got a Riyad Mahrez on the wing, it can't happen. There's too much room.

"These two seem to have the energy, desire and skillset to do it. Defending is a skill, you've got to be brave. I hope we sign Fatawu and make him permanent at the end of the season, he's a top player.

"It's going to be really important next season [if Leicester get to the Premier League]. We're not going to have as much possession."

Listen to more reaction on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast

The latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Leicester's Jack Rafferty is joined by former Foxes winger Matt Piper to discuss Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Listen to the full episode here

Chris Forryan
Fan writer

Ten seasons ago, the Championship was won by a team in blue from the East Midlands with 102 points. Their future achievements would rewrite the history books.

I am, of course, referring to Leicester City.

Over the following nine seasons, the average points to finish second and guarantee automatic promotion is 89. This season, with 15 games left, the Foxes are already on 75 points - a points total that, with our goal difference, would have guaranteed a play-off place in six of those nine seasons.

But a warning.

Two seasons running (2019-20 and 2020-21), we finished fifth in the Premier League having been in Champions League positions with two games remaining.

The finish line is, though, in sight. We just need that last push. Some fans say: "Ah yes, but you won't win all your games." But then neither, probably, will Southampton, Leeds etc.

It is going to be an interesting final third to the season, strap yourselves in and hold on tight.

Chris Forryan can be found at Leicester Till I Die, external

James Mappin, host of the Wednesday 'Til I Die Podcast, spoke to the When You're Smiling Podcast about Leicester's match against Sheffield United on Tuesday: "It's going to be tough. I've seen a bit of Leicester and with some of the football you're playing, it's not going to be easy.

"'I've already earmarked this as a defeat for Sheffield Wednesday. I know that sounds a bit defeatist, but I want to be realistic. Having said that, we have to take belief out of getting a point in the reverse fixture.

"I don't think Danny Rohl is going to sit back and put 11 men behind the ball, I think he'll try and be brave. We have to realise that Leicester are a far better side than us at the moment. We have some players that can make a difference, and it will be interesting to see how we set up.

"I think we will give up some of the possession so when we get chances we have to take them. I think we will get some chances, I don't think Leicester are unbeatable.

"I think we'll press in the final third, and once you break that press we'll sit off and get into shape. What we did quite well in the game Hillsborough is you having to resort to long range efforts from outside the box, I don't think you had many clear cut chances. I think that's what we'll do on Tuesday."

Listen to the full episode here