Leeds United are aiming to return to winning ways on Saturday lunchtime, as they travel away from home to face Leicester City in the Premier League’s early kick-off.
Kick-off at the King Power Stadium is at 12:30pm, with the match having been selected for television coverage on BT Sport. There will be full updates on the game right here on leedsunited.com. Subscribers can also listen live to full commentary from Elland Road, on LUTV.
A new era begins for the Whites under Jesse Marsch, who was appointed head coach earlier this week. The 48-year-old has enjoyed a productive few days on the training pitches at Thorp Arch with his new side, implementing fresh ideas ahead of the match.
When the two teams met earlier this season, a well contested 1-1 draw was played out at Elland Road. Raphinha opened the scoring that day, but just two minutes later, Harvey Barnes levelled the game up.
Leeds have a strong recent record against Saturday’s opponents away from home. An impressive 3-1 success at the King Power Stadium last season continued a run which has seen the side unbeaten in their last five matches there.
The Foxes come into the game on the back of three wins in their last four games in all competitions, and have also welcomed back top-scorer Jamie Vardy to the team following an injury.
Competing in both the Premier League and the new Europa Conference League, Brendan Rodgers will be hoping his side can climb the table with 14 matches remaining for his side.
The team has a number of games in hand over opponents above them, and a win this weekend could see them move back into the top 10 in the standings, as they currently sit level on points with Crystal Palace and just three behind Brighton.
For Leeds, the bottom half of the table is now fiercely congested and places are swapping around after most rounds of matches. Three points for Marsch in his first game at the helm could take United up to 14th spot, a position currently occupied by Newcastle United, who are two points better off.
The man in the middle this weekend is David Coote. He has overseen two Leeds matches so far this season, which saw a 1-0 defeat away at Southampton and a 2-2 draw with Brentford on home turf. This will be the officials first Leicester match of this campaign.
Manager/head coach:
Leicester: Brendan Rodgers
Leeds: Jesse Marsch
What has Jesse Marsch said, ahead of the match?
“They're a team that plays well with the ball and against the ball. We will have to have a clear match plan and understand the ways they can make it difficult for us and ways we can make it difficult for them.”
League position
Leicester: 12th
Leeds: 16th
Premier League form
Leicester: DLDLW
Leeds: DLLLL
Top scorer
Leicester: Jamie Vardy (10)
Leeds: Raphinha (9)
A memorable moment against Leicester City…
Head to head
Leicester: 44
Draws: 34
Leeds: 48
Team news
Jesse Marsch is evaluating the fitness of Patrick Bamford as the match edges ever closer, with the possibility of the forward returning to action. Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips are still out injured, whilst Diego Llorente is a doubt for the match.
Brendan Rodgers will be without Timothy Castagne, Jonny Evans, James Justin, Wesley Fofana and Ryan Bertrand this weekend whilst Ricardo Pereira will face a late fitness test to see if he can be involved.
Officials
Referee - David Coote
Assistant Referee - Stuart Burt
Assistant Referee - Nick Hopton
Fourth Official - Simon Hooper
Video Assistant Referee - Jarred Gillett
A key battle
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall vs Adam Forshaw
Take a look at some key stats between two central midfielders. The pair are likely to go head to head in the heart of the pitch on Saturday lunchtime against one another, as their teams aim to climb up the table with three points on offer.
Latest odds
Leicester: 3/4
Draw: 16/5
Leeds: 3/1
How to watch
The match has been selected for television broadcast coverage within the UK on BT Sport. Live commentary is available as always on LUTV, with up to date blog updates on leedsunited.com.
