Tonda Eckert’s Southampton are searching to go five games unbeaten, but can they overcome the consistent thorn in their side that has been Leicester City over the past few seasons?
Saints are still Play-off chasers (honestly)
Just five points separate 6th and 15th spot in the Championship table, with many teams vying for that spot in the play-off lottery.
While the Saints are hoping for a win that would take them closer to that 6th place position, opponents Leicester, managed by interim boss Andy King, are in a state of disarray.
Just last week, the Foxes were hit with a six-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules, and sit just one spot outside the relegation zone, on goal difference alone.
Southampton won 3-0 in the reverse fixture against Leicester City in November this season and could now complete a league double over the Foxes for the first time since the 2022-23 Premier League campaign – they last did so outside of the top-flight in the 2007-08 Championship.
A Saints win would send a huge message to the rest of the Championship, and plunge managerless Leicester into further trouble.
Saints can throw Leicester deeper into relegation scrap
Leicester City have lost their last two home league games, last losing three in a row in the 2006-07 campaign under Nigel Worthington.
Saints were handed the biggest home loss in Premier League history by Leicester City in 2019; now is the time for them to inflict an unsatisfactory record of their own.
Leicester are winless in each of their last 11 midweek league matches, with their last such win coming at home to Southampton in April 2024, where they came out 5-0 victors.
But the Saints will come into this game as favourites, against a side that has lost four of their last five. After four games unbeaten themselves in a new system, as well as three clean sheets, Tonda Eckert’s team will be hoping to see themselves through at the King Power.
Another chance for Saints’ debutant goalscorer
Tuesday night could be a great opportunity for new signing Cyle Larin, who scored just four minutes into his Saints debut against Watford, to get amongst the goals once again.
The Canadian striker may be put straight into the starting eleven after an impressive performance, and with Ross Stewart’s minutes workload needing to be managed, Larin could get at least 60 minutes.
Another impressive performance could make the centre forward spot Larin’s to lose, after just two games.
It will need to be another all-rounder performance from his Saints teammates if they want to make this season a successful one.