The final stages of this fascinating Championship season are soon approaching and for both Leicester City and Norwich City they will hope to achieve whatever aspirations they may have for the rest of the season.
Date: 1/4/24
Kick-off Time: 12:30 pm
Location: King Power Stadium
The hosts will be eager to concentrate on matters on the pitch following the disciplinary charges set to them this past week. Leicester City were charged with breaking financial PSR rules but rather fortunately in their case any points deductions wont impact them this season, rather the next. This is more of a short-term gain for Leicester City but if they were not to get promoted this season, it could impact their promotion charge next season.
The Foxes find them in an interesting position ahead of the season run-in compared to their position a month or two ago. Leicester was at one point 17 points clear of the chasing pack and it seemed only a formality that they would steamroll their way into the Premier League at the earliest opportunity. Instead, Enzo Maresca’s men find themselves in second place, albeit via goal difference to Leeds United. Leicester does have a game in hand but arguably shouldn’t be in this position considering their assertive dominance earlier on in the season.
Leicester City as mentioned are behind Leeds United after 37 games played. The Foxes have accumulated 2.2 points per game and results elsewhere could mean they take the lead back in the Championship. However, failure to win could result in them being overtaken by Ipswich Town.
It is worth mentioning that the home side are amongst the league leaders when it comes to goalscoring. Enzo Maresca has implemented a style of play and vision adopted from his work under Pep Guardiola to transform the Foxes into the second-best attacking outlet in the league. After 37 games, Leicester City have scored 74 goals which gives them an average of exactly two goals a game. Only Ipswich Town have a better attacking record. They also rank second highest in passed made with 24,265 – second behind Southampton.
On the defensive side of things, they boast the second-best defence in the league. The 33 goals conceded in 37 games, gives them an average of 0.89 goals conceded.
For Norwich City, they will be hoping to capitalize on Leicester City’s drop from the top of the league, in order to establish their aims for the rest of the season. The Canaries are currently occupying the final play-off spot in the top six and know that any slip up could allow the likes of Hull City or Coventry City to take advantage. Both of the aforementioned teams have a game in hand over the Canaries.
A defeat away at Leicester City will more than likely not impact their actual position but it will undoubtedly invite pressure from those teams involved. The away side are in their second full season back in the Championship after suffering relegation in 2022. Last season they failed to live up to their pre-season expectations of potential champions and lumbered to a disappointing 13th placed finish.
Now under the stewardship of David Wagner, Norwich City are making good progress and are looking for a potential route back via a trip to Wembley. Wagner has experience in guiding a team through those latter stages, having guided Huddersfield Town to an unexpected promotion in 2017.
Norwich City have played 38 games so far this season and have accumulated 61 points – which gives them an average of 1.6 points per game. Their attacking numbers make for good reading as they’ve scored 69 goals in those 38 games. An average of 1.8 goals per game scored is offset however by the 1.4 goals per game conceded in the other side of the pitch.
The reverse fixture fell in favour of the Foxes. A 2-0 victory for Leicester City ensured all three points. Goals from Kelechi Iheanacho from the penalty spot and Kasey McAteer. History favours the home side in this fixture. Leicester City have won 26 of the 51 meetings between the two sides in its entirety.
