Championship side Hull City welcome Premier League high flyers Leicester City to the KC Stadium in the Capital One Cup Fourth Round on Tuesday evening.
Leicester are in great form coming into this cup tie, sitting fifth in the top flight having only lost one game. Meanwhile Hull are bidding to reach their first ever Quarter Final in the competition and sit second in the Championship, just four points from leaders Brighton.
Route To Round Four
The Tigers don’t have a strong record against top flight opposition in this competition, having won just two out of their last ten, conceding 25 goals. It’s not all been plain sailing for the home side either, having squeezed past League Two Accrington on penalties, defeating Rochdale 1-0 thanks to a Greg Luer goal, and knocking out 2013 winners Swansea with a solitary goal from David Meyler.
| Hull | Round | Leicester |
| Swansea, 1-0 | Round Three | West Ham, 2-1 |
| Rochdale, 1-0 | Round Two | Bury, 4-1 |
| Accrington, 2-2, (4-3 Pens) | Round One | N/A |
Leicester however have had a relatively easy route so far, having smashed Bury 4-1 at Gigg Lane as youngster Joe Dodoo scored a hat-trick before eliminating fellow Premier League form setters West Ham at the King Power. The Foxes needed extra time however to stop the Hammers from progressing as Andy King grabbed a late winner.
Team News
Steve Bruce has a few injuries within his squad, meaning his options are rather limited. Defenders Alex Bruce (groin) and Curtis Davies (calf), winger Sone Aluko (ribs) and striker Adama Diomande (groin) are all out. Robert Snodgrass is edging closer to fitness after he returned to training after 14 months out with a dislocated kneecap.
Harry Maguire is expected to start at the back with midfielders Isaac Hayden, Mohamed Diame and Tom Huddlestone may return to the midfield with Shaun Maloney possibly playing behind the strikers.
Bruce’s Opposite number Claudio Ranieri however has decided to rest Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy to keep him fresh for the league assault. The charismatic boss is set to make changes to his squad as the depth within the Foxes team will be tested. Shinji Okazaki, Gokhan Inler, Andrej Kramaric, Nathan Dyer and Mark Schwarzer are set to make an appearance.
Leonardo Ulloa is set to make the trip to Hull as he has recovered from a muscle issue, however Jeffrey Schlupp is suspended following his fifth yellow card of the season in the win over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Potted History
The last time Hull were in this position was 2013/14, where they lost out to Tottenham on penalties, having never made the quarter finals. It’s also not the first time these two have met in the competition, as in 2002 Leicester knocked out fourth tier Hull 4-2 in the first round.
Hull will also be aiming to beat a previous record, having never kept three consecutive clean sheets in the League Cup, they sit on two currently, but Tigers fans have reason to be pessimistic. As if Leicester’s stunning start to the season wasn’t enough, the Foxes have won in 13 consecutive League Cup games against lower division opponents away from home.
'Good Feeling'
Claudio Ranieri emphasised the ‘good feeling’ around the club at the minute ahead of the meeting at the KC Stadium. He said that “the feeling between us and our fans” is good and that “we want to continue to improve this feeling.” He also added of his respect for Hull and opposite number Steve Bruce.
History could be made if Hull progress, but it looks like it could be a vintage Leicester performance that may see them through to the final eight come next round.