Leicester City may lose their top spot in the Championship this weekend if results do not go their way.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Albrighton says Leicester was spoiled by early wins but faces challenges in their Championship promotion bid.
- Recent poor form has narrowed the gap in the standings, with Leeds and Ipswich set to compete for first place.
- Given the high stakes and scrutiny, Leicester must improve to achieve automatic promotion and avoid finishing in the play-offs.
Marc Albrighton has stated that Leicester City’s promotion campaign was never going to be simple.
The Foxes have recently experienced a drop in form, reducing the margin between them and the following pack to just four points.
Leeds United and Ipswich Town both play this weekend, while Enzo Maresca’s team participates in the FA Cup, which could leave only one point separating the top three if both win.
While Leicester will have a game in hand over their opponents after this weekend, the pressure might build up heading into the March international break, especially with a game in hand against fourth-place Southampton.
The Leicestershire club appeared certain to finish in the top two of the Championship early this season, but only one win in their last five has cast doubt on their automatic promotion prospects.
Marc Albrighton confirms Leicester’s promotion
Albrighton has stated that the team was spoiled by the extended winning streak that began the club’s second division season.
He believes the recent spate of poor performances is a more accurate picture of the difficulty of competing in the Championship.
“We were spoilt a little bit at the start of the season with win after win,” Albrighton said on the When You’re Smiling podcast.
“It was never going to be that simple during the season.
“We have got ourselves in a great position and this is the point of the season where we really need to dig deep and see it through.”
Leicester have earned a break from league play this weekend by qualifying for the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Maresca’s team will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on March 17, with the victor advancing to the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.
The two teams will face off at 12.45pm in a rematch of the competition’s final from 2021.
Leicester City’s league position
| Championship Table (As it stands March 15th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 37 | 41 | 82 |
| 2 | Leeds United | 37 | 40 | 79 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 37 | 25 | 78 |
| 4 | Southampton | 36 | 26 | 73 |
| 5 | West Brom | 37 | 21 | 63 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 37 | 12 | 58 |
| 7 | Hull City | 37 | 7 | 58 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 37 | 16 | 57 |
Meanwhile, Leicester could lose their lead at the top of the Championship this weekend.
Leeds United’s two-goal victory over Millwall will propel Daniel Farke’s team up the standings.
Ipswich Town can also cut the gap to one point when they face Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road on Saturday.
With nine games remaining, the race for both automatic promotion positions is still very close, with Southampton only nine points behind but with a game in hand.
Leicester will not return to the league until March 29, when they travel to Bristol City.
Leicester cannot afford any more slip-ups.
Leeds and Ipswich have done well to capitalise on Leicester’s recent drop in form, and we now have a true battle for both automatic promotion berths.
The Foxes appeared set to win the crown, but they now risk sliding into the play-offs.
That would be very disheartening for the team and jeopardize their hopes of promotion.
Failure to achieve promotion would be disastrous, especially given the concerns about potential FFP breaches, thus the pressure is on to improve their current performance.
