Leicester City are looking to end their five-game losing streak in the Premier League on Wednesday night when they host Crystal Palace.
After a bit of a new manager jump following the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester have returned to form over the past month. The Foxes have faced some challenging fixtures against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United, but have rarely challenged during disappointing defeats.
Saturday's 6-2 FA Cup third-round win over Queens Park Rangers on a foggy afternoon at the King Power Stadium was necessary, but Palace will present a much tougher challenge than the other Londoners.
Oliver Glasner's side have restored their pride after a poor start to the season and are now seven points clear of Leicester going into Wednesday's game. They have lost just one of their last nine outings and came from two goals down to secure a valuable point when these two sides locked horns in mid-September.
Here it is 90 minutes guide to an intriguing crash to the table leg.
Leicester vs Crystal Palace H2H Record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Leicester |
Crystal Palace |
|---|---|
|
Leicester 6-2 QPR – 11/01/25 |
Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport – 12/01/25 |
|
Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester – 04/01/25 |
Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea – 04/01/25 |
|
Leicester 0-2 Man City – 29/12/24 |
Crystal Palace 2-1 Southampton – 29/12/24 |
|
Liverpool 3-1 Leicester – 26/12/24 |
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace – 26/12/24 |
|
Leicester 0-3 Wolves – 21/12/24 |
Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 21/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 4, discovery+, discovery+ app |
|
United States |
peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 4 Canada |
Leicester are still without several key first-team players for Wednesday's clash, with first-choice goalkeeper Mads Hermansen a significant absence. Ricardo Pereira is also unavailable at the back but Jannik Vestergaard is expected to feature in some capacity against Palace according to Van Nistelrooy.
Further, Wilfred Ndidi is missing in midfield and Abdul Fatawu is unlikely to play again this season after suffering an ACL injury in November. Odsonne Edouard was unlikely to play regardless, but is not eligible to face his parent club.
Leicester predicted formation against Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Soumare, Winks; Buonanotte, El Khannous, Mavididi; Vardy.
palace have recently battled illness but Glasner has confirmed that those absent from the weekend's FA Cup win over Stockport County with flu should all return. That includes Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored a brace in the reverse fixture.
The Austrian also revealed that Will Hughes will feature in the squad once again after being absent since last year's final. However, Adam Wharton will continue to look the other way as he recovers from a knee problem, with early February tipped for his return.
Crystal Palace predicted formation against Leicester (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; The tests.
Leicester should make the King Power their fortress during the second half of the campaign, having already collected most of the points on home soil this season. A visit from Palace is exactly the type of game they need to win – or at least not lose – if they are to avoid a return to the Championship.
Palace have been revived over the past two months but still struggle for victory. They are set for many draws, with scoring and creating chances both old issues. However, with Leicester's defense – the second worst in the division – conceding two or more in their last seven games, the Eagles can secure a hard-fought victory in the Midlands.