Leicester 'motivated' ahead of Ipswich clash after EFL Cup exit to United.

2024-10-27

In a battle of the newly promoted, Ipswich Town are eager to break their Premier League winless streak as they face Leicester City, who are determined to bounce back from a midweek cup exit, at Portman Road this Saturday.

Ipswich Town

A fabulous goal from Liam Delap in the 86th minute was not enough to help ten-man Ipswich avoid defeat, as Bryan Mbeumo completed his brace in stoppage time, resulting in a 4-3 loss against Brentford.

Last weekend's painful defeat marked Ipswich's third consecutive loss, dropping them one spot down the table to 18th place. Kieran McKenna's side, winless since their promotion to the top flight, has accumulated only four points from nine Premier League games.

While their nine-game winless streak shows no sign of ending, Ipswich could draw inspiration from their impressive home record against Leicester City. The Tractor Boys have won all three of their Premier League home games against the Foxes, a run they aim to extend on Match Day 10.

Liam Delap, who has scored five goals in eight appearances accounting for 56% of Ipswich's goals, is expected to lead the attack in Kieran McKenna’s 4—2—3—1 formation. Meanwhile, Harry Clarke is suspended after receiving a red card against Brentford.

As many as six players, including Chiedozie Ogbene, will be absent from the weekend’s clash.

Leicester City

Leicester City suffered a 5-2 defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday night, marking the Red Devils' first game after Erik ten Hag's dismissal. The loss saw Leicester crash out of the EFL Cup, and now they face a weekend clash against Ipswich, eager to return to winning ways.

The Foxes, the only promoted side among the three to have secured a win, are looking to prevent the hosts from achieving their first victory. Leicester sit 9th in the table with 10 points (2 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses) and have an impressive record against Ipswich, losing just once in their last nine league encounters (5 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss).

Both meetings between the sides in the Championship last season ended in draws, and Leicester will be keen to avoid defeat once more. 'We’ve had a really good morning’s work,' manager Steve Cooper mentioned on Thursday. He noted that the frustration from the Manchester game has become positive motivation for their next match.

Leicester is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Jamie Vardy leading the attack. However, Patson Daka and Victor Kristiansen have been ruled out of this encounter.