Leicester City vs. Crystal Palace
Venue: King Power Stadium
Kick off:1:30PM
Crystal Palace’s resurgence under Roy Hodgson faces its toughest test yet when the Eagles travel to in-form Leicester on Saturday afternoon.
After a testing start to the campaign, Palace are unbeaten in their last six games under Hodgson – a run which has moved them to within a point of safety.
In eight previous meetings, Hodgson has never lost against Leicester as a manager, something he’ll be keen to continue as Palace look to go seven games unbeaten for the first time in the Premier League.
However, with the Foxes unbeaten in their last four encounters with Palace, and on the trail of a fifth-straight victory following Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Southampton, the visitors will have to be at their best to halt a rampant Leicester outfit.
Shinji Okazaki shrugged off a head injury to score two goals against Southampton and is expected to retain his place in the Leicester side.
Robert Huth (ankle) and Matty James (Achilles) are unavailable but manager Claude Puel is hopeful the pair will available as they step up their recoveries.
Crystal Palace will be without the suspended Luka Milivojevic for the trip to the King Power Stadium.
The central midfielder serves a one-match ban, and his absence is worsened by respective calf, groin and hamstring injuries to Mamadou Sakho, Joel Ward and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.
In their absences, Martin Kelly is expected to return at right-back, and Scott Dann and James Tomkins will continue in central defence. James McArthur and Jason Puncheon compete to replace Milivojevic.
Crystal Palace have however picked up 10 points from their last six Premier League games, as many as they managed from their previous 17 in the competition.
Leicester City possible XI: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Fuchs, Ndidi, Iborra, Mahrez, Okazaki, Albrighton, Vardy.
Crystal Palace possible XI: Speroni, Kelly, Tomkins, Dann, Schlupp, McArthur, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Zaha, Townsend, Benteke.