Leicester City vs West Brom preview: Foxes looking to claim much-needed victory against the Baggies

Following the climax of the international break, attentions quickly turn to the return of the Premier League, with Leicester City hosting West Brom on Monday night at the King Power Stadium.

Following a lacklustre display at the Vitality Stadium, Craig Shakespeare's side sit 17th in the table ahead of this weekend's round of fixtures, with only goal difference keeping them adrift of the bottom three.

By contrast, Tony Pulis' Baggies have undergone a comfortable start to the campaign, and sit 10th in the Premier League table. Albion headed into the international break on the back of a 2-2 draw at home to an in-form Watford side at The Hawthorns.

The Baggies led 2-0 after just 21 minutes with Soloman Rondon and Jonny Evans finding the net. For the Venezuelan centre forward, it was a first goal on home soil since December.

West Brom, who have be known for being a defensively tight outfit were faced by an onslaught of Watford pressure. In the 37th minute, midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure scored his third goal of the season to make it 2-1, before a late header from Richarlison deep into injury time broke the Baggies' resilience as the Hornets claimed a deserved point.

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Home form pivotal for Shakespeare's side

With only a better goal difference keeping Leicester adrift of the bottom three, it would be wrong to say that Monday night's game isn't vital, with the Foxes faithful expecting nothing less than three points.

Over the past few years, Leicester have maintained a superb record at the King Power Stadium. In the 2015/16 campaign, the remarkable year in which they won the Premier League title, the club claimed a stunning 12 victories on home soil and were defeated just once.

The Foxes endured a much tougher campaign last season, with the side finishing in a disappointing 12th position in the defence of the Premier League campaign. The Midlands outfit struggled to build on the successes from the previous campaign in the top-flight.

However, despite a difficult campaign, Leicester remained a solid force in front of an expectant home crowd. Before the departure of Claudio Ranieri in February, the side for consistency but were still able to pick up five victories at home.

However, it wasn't until the appointment of Craig Shakespeare that the Foxes impressed, with victories on home soil a must with relegation looming. Under the guidance of Shakespeare, Leicester collected 16 points at the King Power Stadium from a possible 21, with a 6-1 thrashing at home to Spurs the only loss.

Away sides prevail

In the two meetings between the sides last season, the away team picked up all three points. In November, goals from James Morrison and Matt Phillips proved key as the Baggies picked up a deserved 2-1 victory at the King Power Stadium.

All three goals came in an eventful second half. In the 52nd minute, a pinpoint header from Morrison opened the scoring, giving Albion a deserved lead. Three minutes later, club-record signing Islam Slimani headed home from an accurate cross from Riyad Mahrez. However, as the Foxes increased the pressure on the West Brom defence, Danny Drinkwater presented Phillips the opportunity to give West Brom all three points.

In the return fixture, a revitalised Leicester side claimed a comfortable 1-0 victory at The Hawthorns. The only goal came from a Jamie Vardy strike towards the end of the first-half. In the second-half, the Foxes back-line survived an onslaught of pressure to claim just a second away victory of the campaign.

Team News

Shakespare has confirmed that duo Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi will be fit for the game on Monday.

Vardy wasn't named in the England squad over the international break, but was able to play in the goalless draw against Bournemouth. The Foxes will be without Robert Huth and Matty James, who remain long-term absentees.

In the oppostion camp, West Brom look set to be without trio Nacer Chadli (back), Hal Robson-Kanu (muscle strain) and Morrison (calf).