Leicester v Newcastle preview: Foxes aim to bring down flying Magpies
As Leicester had seven players at the World Cup but none playing after the round of 16, his squad should be more refreshed than some heading into the busy seasonal programme.
Foxes fans can justifiably expect plenty of post-Christmas entertainment as this fixture has produced an average of five goals per game across the last three H2Hs here (Leicester: W2, L1) including a 4-0 win for the hosts last term.
A 3-0 midweek EFL Cup win over MK Dons will add to that expectation, although Leicester still haven’t won a home league game this term against a side starting the round above the bottom six (D2, L2).
Newcastle United are another team for whom the break stalled their momentum, having recorded five straight PL wins for the first time since November 2014.
That 2014 run coincidentally started with a 1-0 win over Leicester City, and they were third in the table before the recent World Cup - an impressive 20 points better off than they were after 15 games last PL season!
Unbeaten on the road in the league since August (W3, D1), manager Eddie Howe has high hopes his team can start their festive programme strongly, describing a 5-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal as “just what we needed at this stage of our preparations”.
Encouragingly, all five of their World Cup players started against Howe’s former club Bournemouth in midweek too (W 1-0).
Players to watch: No active player has scored more often in this fixture than Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (five goals), who completed the scoring against MK Dons on Tuesday. Newcastle’s Miguel Almirón may end up being a threat upfront too, especially after scoring in four of their last five PL games.
Hot stat: These two managers have never drawn a personal H2H (Rodgers: W6, L3).
