FA Cup against the Blues! Preview by Simon Mack

Leicester City vs Birmingham City

FA Cup 5^th Round

4^th March 2020 7:45pm

The foxes return home from the road on Wednesday night with a home FA Cup tie against fellow midlands outfit Birmingham City. The foxes form of late has not been fantastic and this local clash against the blues will provide the 3^rd test from the championship in the completion this season. Leicester have already overcome Wigan Athletic and Brentford in the FA Cup so far this term deploying heavily altered sides from that of the league, and it will be interesting to see the eleven foxes boss Brendan Rodgers selects for this one in the wake of the disappointment at Carrow Road last Friday.

For Birmingham the tie provides a welcome break from championship action where the last 4 ties have all ended in draws. Stalemates against QPR, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday and Bretford have left the blues in 15^th place safe from the drop but also 9 points behind 6^th placed Preston meaning a mid-table spot for their toil this season looks a likely outcome.

Despite the habit of drawing lately Pep Cotet’s side have not lost since New Year’s Day but will be without midfielders Jacques Maghoma and Josh McEachran. Scott Hogan (on loan from Aston Villa) should be fit for this one and has been in fine form in recent times and fellow forward Jérémie Bela has also been in decent nick scoring in both of the blues last 2 FA Cup outings. Hogan along with former Burnley striker Lukas Jutkiewicz as a starting pair should make for a potent threat at King Power Stadium under the lights and whilst the foxes have been somewhat of a bogey team for Birmingham in the cup a decent run in the competition could spark the impetus their league season is running out of.

For the foxes Brendan Rodgers went public in the build up to this one in regard to the ‘harsh words’ he has given his players in the club’s recent slump in form. For the first time since the Northern Irishmen moved to the East Midlands from Glasgow his charges are 5 without a win and he went on to explain “You’ve got to stay calm with it but at times you have to be harsh to be clear – this is elite sport,” “You can’t dance around the truth.”

With frank words the contrast between Leicester’s pre and post-Christmas form is stark, and as the foxes head into a clash that affords their last chance of silverware with the disappointment of their Carabao Cup exit and unexpected league defeats in the recent past it remains to be seen if Rodgers will ring the changes.

Jamie Vardy will not play a part in this one whatever the city boss decides as he remains side-lined with a calf problem. Apart from that only long term absentees  Nampalys Mendy and Daniel Amartey are receiving treatment at Belvoir Drive and the good news is that the on and off and on again knee trouble that has plagued Wilfred Ndidi seems to be over.

This game might be a chance for Leicester to give high quality game time to some of the lesser used players to date, and with the foxes floundering to re find their early season form an impressive display in this one might see more opportunity in the club’s remaining Premier League program.

Leicester City possible line up:

Ward, Justin, Morgan, Bennett, Fuchs, Ndidi, Gray, James, Praet, Albrighton, Iheanacho

Birmingham City possible line up:

Camp, Colin, Dean, Roberts, Pedersen, Crowley, Gardner, Sunjic, Bellingham, Hogan, Jutkiewicz