David Moyes has been given a vote of confidence by West Ham co-owner David Sullivan, who insisted “we one hundred per cent support the manager.”
The pressure has piled on the Scot following a run of three defeats from their last four Premier League (PL) matches, including a 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace at the weekend, a result which pushed them down to 15th in the table and only two points clear of the relegation zone.
The defeat to Palace still came as a surprise though, as they had won their six previous home matches across all competitions.
Yet that loss came after a midweek Europa Conference League game and after failing to win four of their last five league games after a European fixture, they might be glad that their continental adventure is now on hold till the spring.
The visit of Leicester now offers hope of a quick turnaround though, as the Hammers are unbeaten in the last four head-to-heads (W3, D1).
Moyes will be hoping his owners show similar patience in him as opponents Leicester have displayed in Brendan Rodgers.
There were calls from some fans for the former Liverpool boss to be sacked when the Foxes sunk to the bottom of the PL, but a run of three wins in four league matches (L1) has dragged them clear of the relegation zone, with last week’s away win at Everton actually seeing them leapfrog West Ham.
Leicester kept a clean sheet in each of those victories, which suggests they have sorted out a leaky defence who conceded 24 goals in their opening 10 league games!
Rodgers claims his side are now playing with more “confidence” than they were at the start of the campaign, and they head to the London Stadium searching for a third away league success in a row for the first time in two years as they look to back up victories at Wolves and Everton.
Players to watch: Jarrod Bowen (25) is unbeaten in his four West Ham appearances against Leicester, bagging three goals and two assists in the process (W3, D1).
Meanwhile, Foxes midfielder Harvey Barnes (24), who already has five goals in 12 PL games this season, has netted twice in six clashes with the Hammers (W2, D2, L2).
Hot stat: The last seven head-to-head meetings between these two teams have all contained at least three goals.
