Leicester City will hope they are not on the wrong end of a cup upset as they host League Two side, Newport County, with a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup up for grabs.
With 72 places splitting the two sides this may seem like a forgone conclusion, but when these two sides met at Rodney Parade in January 2019, Newport County produced a shock and beat Leicester 2-1, with a late Pádraig Amond penalty.
The Exiles have had a difficult start to this season, which sees them in 18th place, just four points of the dropzone, a cup run might be what the need to light up their season. Nevertheless, Graham Coughlan has steadied the ship, with his side four games unbeated since taking charge on October 20th, after former manager James Rowberry was dismissed after a string of three defeats.
However, they face an in-form Leicester side, with Brendan Rodgers’ side lifting themselves out of the bottom three and into 14th with their 2-0 win over Everton on Bonfire Night.
Leicester City are three-time winners of the League Cup, but the last time they lifted the trophy was 22 years ago. In an underwhelming season, a cup run might be exactly what the Foxes need to lift spirits and get them a European spot for next season.
Leicester City were taken to penalties in the last round, in a difficult tie with Stockport County that ended 0-0, Leicester City fans will hope this round goes a little smoother.
Newport County produced a shock themselves as they knocked out League One side Portsmouth, in a thrilling cup tie that ebbed and flowed, but saw Newport County run out victors, winning 3-2.
Team News
Leicester City where without Belgian international Dennis Praet (family reasons) and Çaglar Söyüncü (slight hamstring injury) for the trip to Merseyside but should have both available for Tuesday night.
Experienced centre-back has missed the last few weeks with a calf injury and will likely be unavailable for the League Cup fixture, with the Northern Irishman not expected to be fit until after the World Cup.
Full-backs Ricardo Pereira and Ryan Bertrand remain ruled out with long-term injury’s and are not expected to be back until the new year.
Leicester City are expected to ring in the changes to keep his side fresh for their visit to the London Stadium to face West Ham this weekend.
Congolese striker Offrande Zanzala has had a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury that sees him ruled out of the trip to the East Midlands.
Newport will also be without ex-Coventry centre-back Declan Drysdale and experienced midfielder Robbie Willmott, as they both picked up yellow cards for the second time in the second round, which sees them miss the third round through suspension.
Graham Coughlan has no other fresh injury concerns to contend with.
Predicted Line-ups
Iversen, Castagne, Vestergaard, Soyuncu, Thomas, Albrighton, Mendy, Praet, Perez, Iheanacho, Daka.
Day, Norman, Clarke, Demetriou, Farquharson, Lewis, Moriah-Welsh, Bennett, Waite, Evans, Bogle.
Key Players
Kelechi Iheanacho’s minutes have been limited this season with Brendan Rodgers setting up in a formation with only one striker. But when playing in a two-striker formation like he did in the 2020-21 season, which saw him finish the season as the club’s top goalscorer, Iheanacho can be a real threat.
At one-point Iheanacho had the best goals to minutes ratio in Europe, so if given some minutes on Tuesday evening, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him amongst the goals.
Omar Bogle is a man familiar with Leicestershire, as he started out his professional career at Hinckley United, he will be hoping his return to the East Midlands will be a successful one.
The EFL journeyman has been a shining light for Newport this season since joining the club from Hartlepool United, scoring seven goals. The 6ft 3in striker could cause a fresh Leicester City defence some problems.
Match Details
Where will the match be played?
The match will be played in the East Midlands at Leicester’s King Power Stadium.
What time is the match?
Kick-off is on Tuesday, November 8th at 7.45pm.
How can you watch the match?
In the UK, the full match will not be broadcast on TV, but the goals as they go in can be seen in Sky Sports News. Highlights will be available after the match has finished.