Leicester, despite their position of fifth in the
Championship, have probably lost too many games for manager Nigel Pearson’s
liking with eight losses already. It’s resulted in them being a dozen points
off the top heading into the second half of the season and he’s looked to rectify
that already with the signing of Chris Wood from West Brom on a permanent
basis. The striker had an immediate impact scoring two on his debut against
Huddersfield which set his new side up for a thumping 6-1 win. It was their
second win on the trot after going four games without a victory so Pearson will
be hoping that they can continue the winning tread into Saturday’s game against
League Two Burton at home.
Burton make the trip to Leicester for the second time this
season after knocking the Foxes out of the League Cup way back in August. It
was a 4-2 win on that occasion and a repeat of that would do very nicely for
Gary Rowett and his players who have been in and around the play-off picture in
League Two for much of the season. They will be hoping to atone for their
opening match of 2013 where they went down 3-0 to York on New Year’s Day. It
was a result which meant they dropped out of the top seven but the manager will
be hoping to use this match as a distraction before getting back into league
business. They have nothing to lose tomorrow and if they managed to pull off
another shock it leaves them in an excellent position for the coming months
ahead.
Leicester have one of the biggest squads in the Championship
and has a lot of options, especially upfront. The signing of Wood brings the
tally to eight strikers in all but it’s evident that too many of them were not
providing enough goals with only David Nugent managing to reach double figures.
Wood partnered Nugent in attack on Tuesday and I would expect to see a similar approach
in the match against Burton in the hope that they continue to strike up a good
understanding for the months ahead.
Burton have struggled to score goals on the road this season
having managed just nine from their 13 away games. Only Barnet, who are third
bottom, have a worse record than Albion so it’s an area which they must improve
on if they are to cement themselves in a play-off spot. Their tally of 23
conceded is also one of the worst in the division and because of those
statistics, it comes as no surprise to see that they have won only three games
on the road all season in League Two.
Although Burton one at the King Power Stadium back in August,
I firmly expect Leicester to come out victorious on Saturday. Pearson will
surely not allow a repeat of what happened in the League Cup and with the
manner of their victory on Tuesday against Huddersfield, coupled with the poor
form of Burton on the road, I can see a comfortable home success for the
Championship side.
Leicester (-1) 17/20 @ Ladbrokes
