Leicester City vs. Southampton
Venue: King Power Stadium
Kick off: 4PM
Leicester City and Southampton meet in the Premier League for the first time since the latter suffered a record 9-0 defeat at the hands of the Foxes back in October.
The Saints have enjoyed a considerable spike in form since that day, while Leicester continue to confound expectations under Brendan Rodgers.
That 9-0 thrashing of Southampton at St Mary’s served as the moment when onlookers started to look at the Leicester team in a different light.
Beyond being a highly organised, energetic group of players, the result enshrined in the minds of many that this was a side capable of beating anybody, of even challenging for the Premier League title.
A recent draw with Norwich City, along with defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool, killed talk of another shock title, but Leicester are nonetheless a team that firmly belongs in the top four.
Under Rodgers, the Midlands side bring a ruthless blend of rapid transitional play and cutting edge in the final third, with the talismanic Jamie Vardy once again having a quietly world-class campaign, netting 17 goals in 19 league outings.
They are now a side that is expected to not just win but indeed thrill while doing so, and the meeting with Southampton is no exception.
In a way, it could be said that the 9-0 drubbing in front of their own fans, equalling the record for the biggest ever margin of victory in the Premier League, was the best possible thing to happen to Southampton this season.
That result left Southampton in the relegation zone, without a league win in five games, but was also the catalyst for an impressive revival.
In the 11 games since that defeat, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have won five times, along with claiming an impressive draw at Arsenal, climbing to 12th in the process, five points clear of safety.
Since that drubbing, which naturally garnered worldwide attention, Southampton’s performances have been tighter, more energetic, more purposeful all over the pitch.
They will need to be at their very best, and also have some luck, if they are to exorcise the demons of that gloomy October evening at the King Power today.
Leicester City possible XI: Schmeichel, Soyuncu, Evans, Fuchs, Chilwell, Pereira, Maddison, Tielemans, Choudhury, Perez, Vardy.
Southampton possible XI: McCarthy, Cedric, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Long, Redmond, Ings.