Bristol Cityvs.Leicester

The Foxes - also reeling from financial punishments - went into the international break on the back of an FA Cup elimination at the hands of Chelsea, while the Robins went down 2-0 to West Bromwich Albion.

Match preview

A two-week hiatus from domestic football arguably came at the most opportune time for Liam Manning's Bristol City, who suffered their fifth defeat in six Championship matches at The Hawthorns on March 16 to further dent any wafer-thin playoff hopes.

Having managed to end their four-game sequence of defeats with a 1-0 home win over Swansea City six days beforehand, the Robins had their wings clipped and were brought crashing back down to earth against West Brom, who prevailed courtesy of Jed Wallace and Tom Fellows's efforts.

Few on-field headlines should be written by Bristol City between now and the end of the season, as Manning's men languish in mid-table obscurity in 14th position, 14 points adrift of the playoff positions but with a healthy eight-point lead over the relegation zone.

The Robins may just peek over their shoulder if performances continue in the same dismal vein, though, and despite producing the goods at Ashton Gate when Swansea paid a visit a couple of weeks back, they had failed to find the back of the net in four of their previous five home games before that.

However, the Bristol City faithful can take solace in one positive Easter omen, as their side have only been beaten in one of their last eight Good Friday contests - a 2-0 loss to Stoke City in 2021 - and their visitors are certainly not the same irrepressible force that they once were.

Whether the threat of severe financial penalties can be blamed for Leicester's plight only Enzo Maresca and co know, but with just nine games remaining in the second-tier campaign, the top-two finish that appeared set in stone is no longer a certainty for the declining Foxes.

Since Valentine's Day passed, Maresca's men have not been feeling the love in the Championship with just four points taken from their last five matches, allowing Leeds United to surge to the top of the pile and bump the Foxes down to the runners-up position on goal difference, which Ipswich Town - just one point worse off - also have their eyes on.

Leicester still have the safety net of a game in hand over the Whites and the Tractor Boys, but they have now become the latest club to feel the wrath of the Premier League over alleged Profit and Sustainability rule breaches, while also being placed under a registration embargo by the EFL.

Amid the fear of potential points deductions, Leicester have initiated legal proceedings against both governing bodies, leaving Maresca with an unenviable job to keep his players solely focused on football as they bid to reclaim their rightful place at the top of the Championship pile.

Second-tier matters are all that Leicester have to focus on for the next couple of months owing to their 4-2 FA Cup quarter-final loss to Chelsea, but they remain the division's best-performing away side and have won their last three league matches versus Bristol City, keeping three clean sheets in tow.

Bristol City Championship form:

L

L

L

L

W

L

Leicester City Championship form:

W

L

L

L

W

D

Leicester City form (all competitions):

L

W

L

W

D

L

Team News

Bristol fans may finally get a glimpse of Ayman Benarous in senior action in the not-so-distant future, as the injury-plagued midfielder recently turned out for the Under-21s as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Benarous is expected to continue building up his fitness levels with the youth team for the time being, though, while Sam Bell (hamstring), Rob Atkinson (hamstring) and Kal Naismith (calf) are definitely absent for Friday's game too.

However, Manning has confirmed that midfield duo Matty James and Joe Williams should be in contention to make their comebacks against Leicester, while no fresh injury concerns have arisen with any of their international troops.

Meanwhile, Leicester boss Maresca must rejig his rearguard due to Callum Doyle's suspension - the on-loan Manchester City man received a straight red card in the cup defeat to Chelsea and will sit on the naughty step at Ashton Gate.

James Justin should be a straight swap for Doyle in the backline, but Maresca could yet receive a triple injury boost for the trip to Bristol, as none of Jamie Vardy, Ricardo Pereira or Dennis Praet have been ruled out of Friday's contest just yet.

However, regular hamstring victim Kasey McAteer is expected to remain sidelined for a little while longer, but Maresca should not see any reason to make major alterations after his team went toe-to-toe with Chelsea for 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Bristol City possible starting lineup:

O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Sykes, King, Gardner-Hickman, Twine; Knight; Conway

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Dewsbury-Hall, Winks, Ndidi; Fatawu, Daka, Mavididi

We say: Bristol City 0-2 Leicester City

Both Manning and Maresca ought to have welcomed the international break with open arms amid their side's respective on-field struggles, but two weeks may not be enough to solve the Robins' attacking crisis at home.

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