Tottenham may be having to adjust to the fact that they are now in a top-four battle rather than a Premier League title race after dropping two more points against West Brom.
On the bright side, the Lilywhites will have positive memories associated with their last trip to Leicester, the scene of a 6-1 thrashing in May.
It’s vital for Mauricio Pochettino that his side get back to winning ways having drawn 1-1 with the Baggies and lost 2-0 to Arsenal a week earlier. Those disappointing results were at least interrupted by an impressive Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund, as otherwise it might suggest that Spurs haven’t quite hit top gear.
Leicester, meanwhile, have only lost once since appointing Claude Puel - and that was against Manchester City, which is forgivable. The Frenchman’s appointment was met with some scepticism, but there does seem to have been some improvement since Craig Shakespeare’s departure, even if they have remained somewhat erratic.
There’s still a healthy tension in the air whenever these two sides meet. Of course, it dates back to the 2015/16 title race and it’s likely to be felt more keenly among their fans than the players themselves. Spurs must seize that atmosphere, however, as they have now slipped down to fifth, suddenly finding themselves 10 points behind league-leaders Manchester City.
Team news
It was thought Erik Lamela might make a surprise appearance against West Brom, but it turned out he was absent for the birth of his child. The Argentinian is expected to miss out again, alongside Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama. The latter have been big losses for Spurs so far. Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies were unconvincing on Saturday and while Pochettino isn’t likely to ‘drop’ them, he often chooses to rotate his full-backs when there are two games within a matter of days. It will certainly be interesting to see if Danny Rose comes back into the fold amid rumours of a falling out between player and manager.
As for Puel, he has had to play down reports that Riyad Mahrez didn’t take kindly to being taken off in the 1-1 draw against West Ham. The Algerian might well get 90 minutes here as the Foxes aim to keep him happy. Leicester should be able to field their best XI, more or less.
Expected line-ups:
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Fuchs, Albrighton, Ndidi, Iborra, Gray, Mahrez, Vardy
Tottenham: Lloris, Dier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Aurier, Winks, Sissoko, Rose, Eriksen, Alli, Kane
Did you know?
Harry Kane spent the end of the 2012/13 season on loan at Leicester, but failed to make much of an impression and only scored two goals.
Prediction:
For all the clichés about a ‘Wembley curse’, the fact remains that Tottenham have been much better on the road this season. Leicester couldn’t quite get past lowly West Ham in their last outing, so an away win looks the most likely outcome. Pochettino’s side have enjoyed some big wins on their travels and with Kane having scored in back-to-back games, Leicester could find it difficult to keep them at bay here.
Leicester 1-3 Tottenham
Leicester and Tottenham meet at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday 28th November (Kick-Off 7.45pm).
