Leicester again after just a month

Since that 1-0 win at Leicester, courtesy of an Ade Akinbiyi goal, the Foxes have remained unbeaten in four games, two wins and two draws, and have conceded just one goal. They also had a game abandoned at Plymouth because of a waterlogged pitch.

They haven’t conceded too many goals all season but have had a problem in finding the net and so it is probably no surprise that their last two games have both ended goalless. Dutch striker Mark de Vries is their leading scorer with eight goals in total, six in the league and two in the Carling Cup.

Manager Craig Levein has talked about bringing in loan signings to strengthen their attacking options but so far he’s drawn a blank although it did look earlier in the week as though there could be at least one new player in their squad this weekend.

He has though revealed that all their training over the two weeks since we all last played has been spent working on forward play and not defensive play in the hope of improving their goalscoring.

They go into the game tomorrow five points and six places behind the Clarets but they have lost just twice on the road this season, at Sheffield United on the opening day of the season and then at Cardiff.

Click HERE to see all Leicester’s results this season.

It is good news for Leicester boss Craig Levein who has a stronger squad to choose from than for some time. De Vries and midfielder Joey Gudjonsson both return to the squad after serving suspensions as does Stephen Hughes who hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in that game against us last month.

The only players unavailable are Lee Morris, and he hasn’t played all season, and young Australian full back James Wesolowski who is still to play in the first team. Levein said today, “It gives me the opportunity to pick just about what I consider to be my best team this weekend.”

That team is expected to be: Rab Douglas, Alan Maybury, Dion Dublin, Patrick McCarthy, Nils-Eric Johansson, Momo Sylla, Stephen Hughes, Patrick Kisnorbo, Gareth Williams, Elvis Hammond, Mark de Vries. Subs from: Paul Henderson, Joe Hamill, Danny Tiatto, Iain Hume, Joey Gudjonsson, Richard Stearman, Patrik Gerrbrand.

Click HERE to see the full Leicester squad.

There’s no such luck for Steve Cotterill who will certainly be without two first team regulars, likely to have a third missing and could still see four players ruled out.

Goalkeeper Brian Jensen and central defender Frank Sinclair we know won’t play as both serve one match suspensions and it is likely that Graham Branch will still be ruled out with the injury he sustained in the game against Leeds last month.

The fourth player with injury problems is Michael Duff, who pulled out of Northern Ireland’s game against Portugal this week, but there is better news on him and he could be fit enough to line up in the Burnley defence.

Lee Grant will definitely make his debut in goal and we are close to being down to everyone fit either playing or being on the bench and if Duff is fit then we are likely to line up: Lee Grant, Michael Duff, Keith Lowe, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O’Connor, Micah Hyde, John Spicer, Garreth O’Connor, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs: Duane Courtney, Chris McCann, Danny Karbassiyoon, Nathan Dyer, Gifton Noel-Williams.

We made two attempts at playing this particular fixture last season. Referee Graham Laws ludicrously allowed the game to start on New Year’s Day on a pitch that resembled a boating lake and then proceeded to call it off after just 18 minutes.

When it was finally played it is fair to say that it wasn’t one of the best remembered games at the Turf last season. We went into the game with Ade Akinbiyi, Mo Camara and Lee Roche all suspended and Tony Grant ruled out with injury but we should have been ahead in the first two minutes only for Ian Moore to somehow fail to even get a shot in when put clear.

John Oster put a superb effort against the woodwork in the second half on a night when we didn’t have a single shot on target throughout the ninety minutes. The 0-0 scoreline was just right for this game.

The teams were,

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Gary Cahill, John McGreal, Frank Sinclair, John Oster, Micah Hyde, Pete Whittingham, Graham Branch, Ian Moore, Jean-Louis Valois. Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Paul Scott, Joel Pilkington, Cayne Hanley, Mark Yates.

Leicester: Ian Walker, Darren Kenton, Nikos Dabizas, Patrick McCarthy, Jordan Stewart (Keith Gillespie 45), Alan Maybury, Stephen Hughes, Scott Gemmill, Gareth Williams, David Connolly (Lilian Nalis 76), Tommy Wright (Mark de Vries 63). Subs not used: Lars Hirschfeld, Richard Stearman.