Leicestervs.Norwich

The Foxes were punished for squandering several openings in a 1-0 Good Friday loss to Bristol City, while the Canaries fought back from a goal down to see off Plymouth Argyle 2-1.

Match preview

Jamie Vardy wasting a glut of gilt-edged chances would be a harbinger of doom for Leicester at Bristol City's Ashton Gate, where Enzo Maresca's men lost their grip on a top-two position in the Championship standings and suffered successive losses for the second time in the space of two months.

On the back of a 4-2 FA Cup quarter-final exit to Chelsea - albeit one that was far from disastrous - the international break ostensibly came at the perfect time for the faltering Foxes, who only had two wins to show from their last seven matches before players linked up with their countries.

However, any hours that the Leicester staff put into solving their side's Championship crisis went unrewarded on Friday, where Anis Mehmeti's fifth goal of the season condemned the Foxes to that all-too familiar sinking feeling, as well as their fifth loss in eight games in all tournaments.

As a result, Maresca's ailing men now find themselves down in the bronze medal position in the table, but despite their alarming plight, they are still in control of their title destiny, sitting just one point behind Leeds United and two below Ipswich Town with a game in hand on both.

At the very least, Leicester will have a spot in the playoffs to fall back on - a top-six finish is virtually guaranteed at this point - but disgruntled fans are growing increasingly restless, especially with their beloved side going down 2-1 to Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers in their last two second-tier home matches.

A 2-1 scoreline also appeared in the top left-hand corner of the screen when Norwich welcomed Plymouth to their East Anglian headquarters on Good Friday, but thanks to a set piece-inspired fightback, David Wagner's men ended up on the correct side of it.

During a tale of three crosses at Carrow Road, Morgan Whittaker's diving header propelled the newly-promoted visitors into the ascendancy, but Joshua Sargent's smart near-post finish from a corner levelled the contest, before another delivery from the same side ended with Tottenham Hotspur loanee Ashley Phillips diverting the ball into his own goal.

Thanks to a helping hand - or head - from the highly-rated teenager, the Canaries arrive at the King Power Stadium on the back of three successive Championship victories, a streak of form which has seen them cement sixth place in the table, four points better off than Coventry City having played an extra game.

Norwich have racked up 10 goals while shipping just one in their green streak - also hitting Stoke City for three and Rotherham United for five without reply - but the beating of the Potters marked just the Canaries' fifth victory on the road all season long; nine of their other 19 on their travels have ended in defeat.

Sixteen Championship teams have performed better on the road than Wagner's men in the current campaign, and while form might otherwise be on their side next week, history is not, as their last three meetings with Leicester across the Premier League and second tier have ended in defeat.

Leicester City Championship form:

L

L

L

W

D

L

Leicester City form (all competitions):

W

L

W

D

L

L

Norwich City Championship form:

D

W

L

W

W

W

Team News

Leicester's on-loan Manchester City defender Callum Doyle was unavailable for the Bristol City affair due to suspension - the 20-year-old was sent off in the cup loss to Chelsea a couple of weeks ago - but he is now back at Maresca's disposal.

The Foxes also received a triple injury boost before the Ashton Gate defeat, as Vardy completed 74 minutes up top, Ricardo Pereira was fit enough for a late cameo and Dennis Praet also made the bench, although the latter was only an unused substitute.

However, Vardy's profligate performance should open the door for Kelechi Iheanacho or Patson Daka to spearhead the Foxes' charge on Monday, where Tom Cannon, Ben Nelson (both leg) and Kasey McAteer (hamstring) will watch on from the sidelines.

Likewise, Norwich should also arrive for Monday's meeting with a trio of infirm players in Onel Hernandez (foot) - who will not play again this season - Dimitris Giannoulis and the much-coveted Jonathan Rowe, both of whom have hamstring injuries.

No new concerns reared their ugly heads on Friday, where Marcelino Nunez was sacrificed for Christian Fassnacht just before the hour mark, and the latter notched an assist just 10 minutes into his cameo with a well-worked corner for Sargent.

The Switzerland international may have played his way back into the first XI thanks to that crucial contribution, while Sam McCallum is primed to deputise for Giannoulis at left-back once more.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

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

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Stacey, Lungi Sorensen, Gibson, McCallum; McLean, Sara; Fassnacht, Barnes, Sainz; Sargent

We say: Leicester City 2-2 Norwich City

Leicester were not without their chances in Friday's excruciating loss to Bristol City - Vardy had simply left his best shooting boots in the locker room - and the Foxes now come up against a Norwich side whose performance on the road has left a lot to be desired all season long.

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