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Leicester City
Peterborough UnitedTwo clubs who could not have imagined being in League One a couple of years ago are meeting at the King Power Stadium, and the contrast between where each of them is right now tells you a lot about how complicated life can get at this level. Leicester City are a club that has fallen twice in quick succession and is now trying to find some consistency in the third tier, while Peterborough are doing something very few people expected, which is sitting even deeper in the table and scrapping to stay relevant in a division that has absolutely no patience for clubs coasting on reputation.
Russell Martin’s side have moments of real quality, no question about that. But they have also been leaking goals at a rate that will frustrate everyone connected with the club, and Peterborough arrive with fresh energy under Robbie Savage, a man with a point to prove in management and a squad that suddenly has something to play for again. This is a fascinating little fixture on paper, even if the league table suggests it should be straightforward for the home side.
The fixture takes place at the King Power Stadium, a ground that once hosted Champions League football and is now the venue for League One Saturday afternoons. That context alone adds a layer of oddness to the whole occasion, but Leicester will be desperate to use their home support and superior resources to put three points on the board in what is already shaping up as a crucial early phase of their season in the third tier.
Leicester had several players away on international duty during the break, so Martin may be managing some returning bodies and assessing fitness carefully before naming his starting eleven. Will Smallbone has joined the club on a free transfer, which is a decent piece of business, though he is expected to start on the bench rather than being thrown straight into the action. The midfield core of John Lundstram, Sammy Braybrooke and Louis Page should hold their places.
Martin looks likely to go with a settled shape built around that midfield trio, with the attacking players asked to create and convert in what should be a game Leicester dominate possession in. McCarthy starts in goal, with Aluko, Souttar, O’Hora and Thomas forming the back four. Further forward, Cullen, Riis and Alves carry the goal threat.
For Savage, getting his first league game right is everything. Expect him to set up with Bass in goal behind Johnston, Mendonca, Weir and Mills across the back. Kelly and Ashfield protect in midfield, Edwards and Shofowoke work the channels, and Leonard leads the line as the focal point of Peterborough’s attack, buoyed by that brace in midweek.
Leicester’s form has been patchy enough to raise a few eyebrows. Two wins, three draws and two defeats from seven league games puts them 14th, which for a club of their size and squad depth is not good enough by anyone’s standards. The 1-1 draw at Barnsley was the latest frustration, a game they probably should have won, and the 2-1 EFL Trophy defeat to Stevenage showed that even against lower-opposition the defensive frailties have not gone away. Five games without a clean sheet is the number that keeps cropping up, and until Martin sorts that out the Foxes will keep dropping points they should not be dropping.
That said, the attacking side of their game has shown real promise. They have scored in each of their last four matches across all competitions, and there is clearly quality throughout the squad. The problem is that for every goal Leicester score, there is a nagging feeling that the opposition can always find a way back into it. Tightening up at the back is the priority, and a home game against a struggling Peterborough side is the kind of fixture where that process needs to begin.
Peterborough’s season before Savage arrived was a mess. One league win from eight games, a heavy home defeat to Doncaster that cost Luke Williams his job, and a general sense of a squad without direction. The 4-1 EFL Trophy win over Ipswich Under-21s is hard to read too much into given the opposition, but the manner of it, racing into a four-goal lead inside the first half and playing with real confidence, suggests Savage has had a positive early effect on the dressing room. Whether that translates into a first-team league context at a ground like the King Power is the big question.
These two have faced each other plenty of times over the years, with their paths crossing regularly across the Championship and lower divisions. Leicester have historically had the upper hand in these fixtures, and the current gap in quality, even accounting for how inconsistent the Foxes have been this season, would suggest the home side should be favoured. Peterborough have shown they can be unpredictable visitors on a good day, and a new manager bounce in front of a crowd is a real phenomenon, but the head-to-head record and the current contexts both point in the same direction.
This is a game where Leicester’s attacking quality should do enough to win it, but the clean sheet record means backing the hosts to shut Peterborough out entirely feels risky. The smarter angle is looking at a game with goals at both ends, a home win, and picking out the most likely scorer from the Posh end of the pitch given Savage’s new setup.
Leicester have the quality to win this but the defensive record makes a tight, clean-sheet victory unlikely. A 2-1 home win feels right, with Peterborough nicking a goal that keeps the scoreline honest before Leicester see it out.
Given Leicester have not kept a clean sheet in five games and Peterborough arrive with a striker in form and a new manager demanding a positive first impression in the league, both teams to score looks well worth backing here. Yes is the call.
Harry Leonard is the obvious name to highlight from the Peterborough side after his brace in midweek, and Savage will clearly be building his attack around him. He has the confidence right now, and backing him to open the scoring adds value to the card given his current momentum.
League One football is physical and direct, and a fixture where a newly-appointed manager’s side are under pressure to perform against a bigger club tends to produce a few niggly fouls and some frustration. Over three and a half cards in the game looks a reasonable shout, with Peterborough’s midfield likely to work hard and rough to stay competitive.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| Match Result | Leicester City to Win |
| Both Teams To Score | Yes |
| First Goalscorer | Harry Leonard |
Leicester winning while both teams score is a combination fully supported by the recent form of both sides, and Leonard finding the net first adds a tasty layer of value if Peterborough draw first blood before the hosts respond.
Leicester City should have enough about them to take all three points here at the King Power. Peterborough are genuinely struggling in this division, and while Savage has injected some fresh energy, winning your first league game as a new manager away at a club of Leicester’s stature is a big ask. The Foxes have the better squad, the home support, and a point to prove after too many frustrating dropped points early in the season.
The worry is always that defensive vulnerability, and Peterborough will fancy their chances of causing a moment of chaos at the back. But Leicester’s attack should ultimately be too much. A 2-1 home win is the prediction, a scrappy, competitive afternoon that gets the job done without ever being entirely comfortable.