Preview: Leicester City vs. Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

The Foxes top the division with 33 points from their opening 12 matches, while Sunderland are in sixth position, boasting 19 points from their first 12 games of the 2023-24 campaign.

Match preview

Leicester suffered a shock relegation from the Premier League last season, but they were always going to be one of the favourites to win the Championship this term due to their pedigree.

The Foxes have hardly missed a step this season, winning 11 of their 12 Championship games, with their only loss of the campaign coming at home to Hull City at the start of September.

Since then, Enzo Maresca's side have won seven league games in a row, including a 3-1 success over Swansea City in Wales on Saturday afternoon, with the visitors recovering from an early setback to score three unanswered goals.

The strength of their squad is shown by the fact that the likes of Patson Daka, Harry Souttar and Marc Albrighton could not even get off the bench on Saturday, while Kelechi Iheanacho was not a starter, which is an indication of the quality that Maresca can call upon.

There is still an awful lot of football to be played this season, but it would be a surprise if Leicester did not win the Championship this term, while they are already in a brilliant spot in terms of promotion, sitting 11 points clear of third-placed Leeds United in the table.

Sunderland will also have their eyes on promotion this term, with the Black Cats narrowly missing out last season, losing to Luton Town in the semi-finals of the playoffs after finishing sixth in the table.

Tony Mowbray's side have won six, drawn one and lost five of their 12 league matches this season to sit sixth in the division on 19 points, just three points behind Leeds United in third.

Sunderland are only three points ahead of 15th-placed Blackburn Rovers, though, so a lot could change in a short space of time, especially with the Black Cats losing their last two.

Indeed, Mowbray's team have not been victorious since the 2-0 home success over Watford at the start of the month, losing 4-0 at home to Middlesbrough before being beaten 2-1 at Stoke City on Saturday.

Sunderland will be determined to bounce back on Tuesday evening, but they have only overcome Leicester once since January 2007, and they were beaten 2-0 by the Foxes in their last meeting at the King Power Stadium during the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.

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Sunderland Championship form:

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Team News

Leicester will again be without the services of four players through injury on Tuesday, with Kasey McAteer, Callum Doyle, Thomas Cannon and Dennis Praet unavailable for selection.

The Foxes could also be missing Yunus Akgun, who limped off with a leg injury in the latter stages of the clash with Swansea on Saturday afternoon.

The quick turnaround could mean that Jamie Vardy, who has scored four times this season, might be replaced at centre-forward by Iheanacho, with the Nigerian boasting five Championship goals in 2023-24.

Sunderland, meanwhile, have five players on the sidelines through injury, with Dennis Cirkin, Jay Matete, Aji Alese, Corry Evans and Ross Stewart currently missing.

Head coach Mowbray could make a change in a wide area from the team that started against Stoke, with Mason Burstow potentially being introduced.

Jack Clarke has been in excellent form for the Black Cats this season, netting eight times in 12 matches in the second tier of English football, and he will again be in the XI for this match.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

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

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Patterson; Huggins, Ballard, O'Nien, Hume; Burstow, Ekwah, Bellingham, Clarke; Pritchard, Roberts

We say: Leicester City 2-0 Sunderland

Sunderland are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Leicester, but we are finding it very difficult to back anything other than a home win here. The Foxes have so much quality all over the pitch and should have too much for their opponents on Tuesday night.

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