Form
Burnley showed signs of promise against Chelsea but were ultimately on the end of a heavy defeat. The Clarets had their moments but individual mistakes let them down as Frank Lampard’s team sailed home 3-0 winners.
It was a rare defeat for Leicester City last week as in-form Southampton shocked the Foxes on their own turf. Danny Ings continued his goal-scoring glut with a second-half winner for the Saints.
Brendan Rodgers played Burnley in the second game of his Leicester management and, despite going down to ten-men, his team managed to win the match 2-1. Leicester won the by the same scoreline at the King Power earlier in the season.
Team News
Burnley manager Sean Dyche will be without Ashley Barnes who is in the process of rehabilitating his groin. Johann Berg Gudmundsson is also still out having picked up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup clash with Peterborough United. Jay Rodriguez should be back after illness.
Leicester won’t be able to call on Wilfred Ndidi who is out with a knee injury. Daniel Armartey and Matty James are also both sidelined. Wes Morgan could make the squad but is a doubt.
Predicted Line-Ups
Burnley: Pope; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Cork, Westwood, McNeil; Wood, Rodriguez.
Leicester City: Schmeichel; Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell; Choudhury; Tielemans, Maddison; Perez, Vardy, Barnes.
Key Clashes
Chris Wood v Jonny Evans
Wood has been struggling of late but has been battling on as Burnley’s only fully-fit and trusted striker. The New Zealander did manage a consolation goal on New Year’s Day against Aston Villa but has found chances hard to come by. In Evans, he knows he will be coming up against one of the division’s most underrated centre-backs. Calgar Soyuncu plays with more flair but Evans is the steady ship that keeps Leicester’s defence in-check.
Ashley Westwood v James Maddison
Westwood is one of Burnley’s few sources of genuine creation. The 29-year-old has the vision and ability to execute some challenging passes and is a very dangerous threat on dead-balls. His job, as part of a two-man midfield, is not only to create but also to press and tackle opponents. Maddison also has to work hard in the Leicester midfield but is given slightly more license to stay forward. He is recognised as a very gifted talent and is allowed to express that.
James Tarkowski v Jamie Vardy
Tarkowski has had a very good season but mistakes have began creeping into his game. His horrible performance against Villa was followed by an underwhelming display at Stamford Bridge. Sadly for him, he will be up against Jamie Vardy this weekend! The 33-year-old is having another fantastic season and, with 17 goals and four assists, Leicester’s talismanic forward is showing no signs of slowing down.
What the teams have said
Dyche on Barnes injury:
"Hopefully he will have a smooth recovery.
"You don’t like losing good players but, equally, it allows other players to come in and perform and that’s what we’ll be looking for them to do."
Soyuncu on bouncing back:
“We are doing our best and we will be trying even harder. We had started with a win against Burnley and we won quite a few games.
“Let’s hope that we win our next game against Burnley again and we can kick-start [our form in] the league again.
“It’s all to do with how you train. I try to give 100 per cent at training and I try to fulfil all of the tasks that have been given to me.
“When you go on the pitch to play against these teams and in training, they’re very similar positions and situations.
“If you work hard in training, you will do well when you play against these teams.”