Leicester City are looking for their first win in five against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening to boost their Champions League push and seal a top-four spot for Brendan Rodgers men.

Leicester, like many other teams, are facing an injury crisis with current players Wes Morgan, Jonny Evans, James Justin, Ayoze Perez, Dennis Praet, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are all out through injury. 

Graham Potter has not had the best of luck either, with a hugely controversial decision in Brighton’s last outing, as referee Lee Mason ultimately decided to disallow Lewis Dunk's free-kick due to the fact that his whistle had blown a second time before the ball crossed the line as well as watching his side miss two penalties with Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck hitting the woodwork respectfully.

There is a boost for the Foxes however as they welcome the return of Wesley Fofana as he made a 30-minute cameo appearance in their away draw with Burnley

The young Frenchman will give Rodgers a boost after a disappointing run of results with a loss against Slavia Prague in the Europa League and a dismal defeat to the hands of Arsenal, but he will be optimistic ahead of the trip down to the Southcoast, as he believes his Leicester side showed spirit, albeit with the injury list which the Northern Irishmen faces. 

He told Lcfc.com; “With the players we have, with the introduction of some young players, we’re looking at different systems and different ways.

"Obviously, when you’re missing the talent and the quality they bring, of course the game looks different, in terms of how you play.

"But we’ve got a really, really good group of players that have a great spirit and we saw that last night in the game. When you go away to Burnley, it’s always going to be a tough game.

The Seagulls are flirting dangerously with the drop zone as they only three points above Fulham and have only won once all season at home, a stat which will make Brighton fans wince as they face the league’s best away team in Leicester who have already beaten Potter’s men them twice this season with a 3-0 win in the league and a 1-0 in the Fa cup.

Although the Leicester treatment room can be seen as full, Brighton also have injury concerns themselves as they are without highly-rated defender Tariq Lamptey as well as Solly MarchAdam Webster and Florian Andone

Will Vardy get back to his best?

It could be said that it was a surprise to see Nigerian international, Kelechi Iheanacho substituted in the second half of the Burnley draw as his sublime volley clawed the foxed back into the game, as record-holder Jamie Vardy seems slightly off his game since his hernia operation as has only scored once in the last 13 games. 

That being said, the injury list has affected the Sheffield-born man as two of City’s most creative men in Harvey Barnes and James Maddison are both out as well as adapting to a new formation and is something new for him to start a match alongside another striker upfront.

Vardy’s record against Brighton will fill him and Foxes fans with confidence as he has scored in each of Leicester’s last three visits to the Amex, all of which have seen the Foxes pick up points and with only one loss away from home all season, Leicester may get their form back on track.

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Surely it's not going to happen again

The Blues came across a miserable end of the 19/20 season as Champions League looked certain but following project restart, the Foxes only won twice and dropped down to fifth in the Premier League following a 2-0 loss on the final day to Manchester United.

With the huge injury list as well as the congested fixture schedule, it could be seen as a positive that Leicester were dumped out the Europa League but with a tough end to the season as well as the FA cup still to battle for, Leicester could again be sweating with the emergence of Chelsea and surprisingly Everton and West Ham hot on their tail.

This game may not seem as important now but at the end of the season it could be seen as a valuable one as a win will see the Foxes seven points clear of Everton and with one more game against bottom-side Sheffield United before a much-need international break, it could leave Rodgers and his squad, in good stead for a Champions League spot. 

Prediction 

Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Leicester City

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