The latest Leicester City news, as all four managers have provided an update on their squads ahead of this weekend’s Championship games.
Following their FA Cup victory, Leicester City’s focus has returned to the Championship.
City have a quarter-final versus Chelsea to look forward to, with Wembley on the horizon. But all attention will now be focused on Saturday’s league encounter against QPR, as they aim to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Before the game, Enzo Maresca revealed a double injury boost. Jamie Vardy returns after missing the last two games due to a groin injury, and midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is exercising and could return in the coming weeks.
Kasey McAteer, an academy graduate, will miss City’s encounter against QPR due to an injury. Jannik Vestergaard will also be missing since he received his 10th yellow card of the season against Leeds and will serve the first of a two-game suspension.
But how do City’s rivals’ squads look ahead of their games? Leeds go to Huddersfield in the early kick-off, while Ipswich visit Plymouth and Southampton host Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.
City fans will most likely be watching three games. As a result, we’ve reviewed the injury reports from all three clubs.
Leeds United
Leeds have received a major injury boost ahead of the encounter, with Daniel Farke announcing that attacker Georginio Rutter is available. He missed the FA Cup match against Chelsea due to a small hernia ailment.
The Leeds manager also revealed that crucial players Crysencio Summerville and Patrick Bamford will return to the starting lineup after only making the bench against Chelsea. They have, however, been dealt a possible setback with midfielder Ilia Gruev in question.
“Georgio was able to train.” “He looked good and is definitely available for the game,” Farke stated during his pre-match press conference, according to LeedsLive.
“Gruev is conducting solo training today, so it will be a late call. He’ll need to train with the team tomorrow. There’s still a chance he’s involved.
Leeds will remain without Jamie Shackleton, Pascal Struijk, and Stuart Dallas for the game. There is also some doubt about striker Joe Gelhardt.
Ipswich Town
Kieran McKenna has ruled out Wes Burns and Nathan Brodhead for Ipswich’s trip to Plymouth, dealing them a major setback. Both limped off during last week’s victory over Birmingham City.
There was more good news for Conor Chaplin, who was also forced to leave the pitch. “Wes and Nathan are unavailable this weekend,” Ipswich manager McKenna confirmed to the East Anglian Daily Times.
“These are modest muscular strains. It’s unlikely that they’ll be ready for Tuesday’s home game against Bristol City. We’ll have to wait and see what happens the following Saturday (in Cardiff).
“Conor sustained a severe gash just below his knee during a tackle, so he needed a few days off to protect it. We’re hoping he’ll be able to train with the team tomorrow and play some role on Saturday.”
Midfielder Jack Taylor could return to play. He missed a month due to injury but returned to training this week.
Southampton
Southampton have been handed a major blow as Russell Martin confirms that Kyle Walker-Peters will most likely miss the trip to Birmingham City. It will be the first time the defender has missed Championship minutes this season.
Despite having come on as a substitute earlier in the game, the former Tottenham Hotspur player was replaced in the second half of the FA Cup loss to Liverpool. Martin confirmed that the injury is not significant.
“He won’t be out for long; I believe tomorrow will be a stretch,” Martin told the Southern Daily Echo. “But Kyle had incredibly fantastic news. He hopes to be part in one of the two events that follow, if not both.
“If not, he will definitely be back after the break so it was fairly positive news.”
