English Premier League: Pressure on Stoke City to perform against Leicester City
The Foxes and the Potters meet inside the Foxes den, King Power Stadium. All the pressure is on the visiting team to at least, walk away with a point.
Matchday 28 kicks off with eighth place, Leicester City welcoming second last, Stoke City. The two’s contrast in league positions, shows the difference of importance heading into the match.
Paul Lambert and his struggling Potters have it all to play for, with a point maybe not being good enough. Playing for a draw could be a futile option – considering they stay in the relegation zone.
Lambert should and must, look for the win. Leicester takes the field comfortably – knowing they sit in a commanding position compared to their visitors. This will allow them to play good football out the blocks.
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Leicester City and their troubles ahead of the clash
Leicester’s last three Premier League encounters has been less than convincing. They’ve lost two of the three, and draw to Swansea City – who’s on a massive rise, but still a side the Foxes should have put away.
They have been appalling in front of goal in this time, allowing eight in by Schemicle, with a Man City five goal haul, the biggest loss of all. Luckily for them, we could see the return of the Foxes’ captain, Wes Morgan.
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He could make his first Premier League start after a long period out of the game. But the manager has said he’s caught in two minds over whether to start Morgan, or in form, Aleksander Dragovic.
Okazaki misses their clash with a knee injury – leaving key-man Vardy and Iheanacho, as the two choices up front. But not to worry, recently crowned, birthday boy is back and looks in top shape.
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Riyad Mahrez will take something special to stop, but the visitors have laid down a solid foundation at the back, making them a difficult team to score pass.
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Stoke City problems going into Saturday’s clash
Lambert is without a key frontman in, Peter Crouch. The forward has been side lined with an ankle infection, according to recent reports.
What adds to the injury – the only options going forward for Stoke is Saido Berahino. He approaches an unwanted stat, taking him to almost two years without scoring a Premier League goal.
Because of this, Lambert is willing to use what’s at Stoke, and could hand young 18-year-old striker, Tyrese Campbell, his Premier League debut. This, plus having Bruno Martins Indi back in contention for a start are the only encouragements the manager has to bank on.
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The request to take all three points is a massive one. But certainly doable if they stay focused throughout the full 90. The Potters have only lost one from their last three – drawing the other two, while only conceding three in the process.
PL: In terms of injuries Peter Crouch is doing well but won't be involved on Saturday. Bruno Martins Indi is back in the squad. Stephen Ireland is still injured.
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) February 22, 2018
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That’s a good record, considering Lambert took over one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
An intriguing fixture to start Matchday 28, taking all the factors influencing it, and the burden on Lambert’s players to deliver a must win result, away from home.