Leicester City host Stevenage at the King Power Stadium on Saturday in a League One fixture vital for their push towards the play-off positions. The Foxes sit 11th in the table with 18 points from 12 games, seven points behind leaders Huddersfield Town and six points adrift of the top six.
Russell Martin’s side head into the match after a convincing 3-0 home win over Wigan Athletic on Tuesday. Emil Riis scored twice in that victory, taking his season tally to six goals in eight appearances, while Bobby Reid added a late penalty. That result snapped a run of inconsistent form that had seen Leicester lose to Luton and Peterborough either side of wins over Bromley and Doncaster.
Stevenage, managed by Alex Revell, arrive in 13th place and have alternated wins and losses in their last six league matches. They were beaten 1-0 at home by MK Dons last time out. Their only away league win this term was a 5-1 victory at Barnsley. The last meeting between these sides was in the EFL Trophy on 6 October, where Stevenage won 2-1.
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Leicester’s starting line-up against Wigan featured A. McCarthy in goal, with a back four of W. O’Hora, H. Souttar, C. Okoli and W. Alves. W. Smallbone, L. Page and L. Thomas formed the midfield, supporting attackers C. Chaplin, K. Doyle and the two-goal E. Riis. Stevenage’s last league XI included T. Setford in goal and forwards M. Mellon and J. Magennis. Leicester are expected to be without long-term absentees J. Vestergaard and M. Marcal, while Stevenage report a fully fit squad.
Leicester have won three of their last four league games, scoring 10 goals in the process. Their recent fixtures show a pattern of strong home performances, with four wins from six at the King Power this season, and they will look to continue that against a Stevenage side with just one away win. The visitors have proven resilient, however, and will aim to disrupt Leicester’s rhythm. Stevenage’s away form shows they have drawn three and lost two of their other five games on the road.
A victory for Leicester would significantly bolster their play-off aspirations and apply pressure on the teams above them. With the league standings showing a congested mid-table, every point is critical. The match kicks off at the King Power Stadium on Saturday 31 October at 3pm GMT. The referee for the fixture will be James Linington.
