Leicester City v Preston North End
Coca-Cola Championship,
Tuesday 4th March, 7.45 kick-off
The Walkers Stadium
North End travel to the Walkers Stadium on Tuesday night as they aim to bounce back from the weekend defeat against Crystal Palace.
In Leicester City, the Lilywhites face opponents who too find themselves at the lower end of the Championship table and lie only three points above North End in 17th spot.
The Foxes enter the game on the back of a resolute 1-0 win away at Cardiff on Saturday but so far this campaign they have failed to record two consecutive victories.
Ian Holloway's men do however have the tightest defence in the division, conceding only 33 goals from their 35 matches this season.
PNE have not recorded a victory on the road since the 4-1 destruction of Derby in the fourth round of the FA Cup, but are buoyed by the fact they kept a clean sheet in their last match away from Deepdale at Watford.
Regarding team selection, Alan Irvine has a similar squad from the weekend with Richard Chaplow doubtful having sat out of the match against Crystal Palace with a tight hamstring, whilst Callum Davidson serves the final game of his two-match suspension. Michael Hart trained with the rest of the squad for the first time on Monday morning as he continues to battle back to fitness from a hip injury, but is still a while from first team consideration.
The fixture will also signal the return of Rob Kelly to the Walkers Stadium. The North End Assistant Manager spent just under 14 months at the helm of the Foxes between February 2006 and April 2007, firstly in a temporary capacity before taking up the position on a permanent basis.
The League Table
There are three points and four places separating the two teams ahead of Tuesday's game with Sheffield United, Southampton and Coventry City positioned between North End and the Foxes.
A win for the Lilywhites would see Alan Irvine's men go level with Leicester on 40 points although it would take a victory by five or more goals to leapfrog the Foxes because of their superior goal difference.
Realistically North End could potentially overtake Southampton if the Saints succumb to defeat on their tough trip to Molineux. A North End win would definitely move the Lilywhites above Coventry, if only temporarily, as Chris Coleman's side play QPR a day later on Wednesday.
There is also the opportunity to displace Sheffield United, but again that could only occur if Preston win and the Blades lose against Ipswich at Portman Road.
PNE, at worse, can only drop down one place and that would require Sheffield Wednesday bettering Preston's result in their home match against high-flying West Brom.
Ones To Watch
Lee Hendrie
The former Aston Villa midfielder looks to make his home debut after joining on an emergency loan deal from Sheffield United.
Hendrie did however complete all but the last few minutes of the 1-0 victory at Cardiff on Saturday with manager Ian Holloway stating that his performance "lifted the lads".
The 30-year-old was snapped by former Blades boss Bryan Robson on a free transfer in the summer after he left Villa Park, a Club at which he had been on the books at for 13 years. But his move to Bramall Lane hasn't really flourished and he has now moved to the Midlands until the end of the season.
The energetic, attack-minded midfielder is however no stranger to the Championship having made 26 appearances for Stoke City last season in two loan spells, in which he bagged three goals.
Paul McKenna
The PNE skipper may have been forced to sit out the opening months of the season with a longstanding groin problem but since his return to fitness, Kenna has been the first name on the team sheet.
With over 410 matches behind him for the Lilywhites, all the experience and guile collected throughout the last 10 years will be a major asset in the season run-in.
Aside from his off-the-field attributes, Kenna is still an outstanding midfielder with passing ability on a par with any player in the division.
He also possesses a lethal long range shot, and although he is yet to open his goal scoring account this season, he is getting ever closer as his shot against Watford that smashed against the post highlighted. Maybe his first goal of the season will come at the Walkers Stadium on Tuesday night?
Last Time Out
Leicester: Henderson, Kisnorbo, N'Gotty, Clapham, Stearman, Clemence, Hume (Wesolowski 90), Oakley, Hendrie (Mattock 90), Howard, Campbell (Hayles 90).
Subs Not Used: James Chambers, Fryatt
Preston: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, Chilvers, Hill, Sedgwick (Ormerod 82), McKenna, Carter, Whaley (Lewis Neal 46), Brown, Hawley (Mellor 46).
Subs Not Used: Chris Neal, St. Ledger.
Head-To-Head
Historically Preston dominate this fixture, registering 23 victories over the years compared to Leicester's 10. There has also been 14 draws.
Since the opening of the Walkers Stadium, Preston have a proud record and are unbeaten in their last four visits to the play the Foxes.
The first meeting between the two sides dates back to the 28th October 1901 when North End ran out comfortable winners 5-0.
Last Time We Met At The Walkers Stadium
Leicester City 0 Preston 1
(Agyemang 15)
Football League Championship
18th November 2007
Attendance: 22,721
Referee - Mr R East
This will be only the second Championship fixture that Mr East has officiated in this season, with his first being the 1-0 victory Bristol City recorded over Blackpool at the back end of January.
In the 22 matches he has refereed in this campaign, he has flashed 50 yellow cards and four reds, while it is also worth noting that there hasn't been a scoreless draw in any of those fixtures.
Betting
North End are 5/2 to take the spoils, Leicester are priced at 11/10 whilst a draw is 23/10. Why not take a chance on a scorecast, for example, Chris Sedgwick to score first and Preston to win 2-0 is a whopping 240/1. All prices are with North End's official betting partner, pnebetting.co.uk
Listen Live
Join us on Whites World from 7.15pm where Matt Morris and Adrian Ward will provide all the big match build-up, with Jonathan Breeze taking over at 7.45pm to provide exclusive full match commentary. Whites World is available now from just £3.99 per month, meaning you can follow North End from anywhere on the globe. Don't forget to send your thoughts and opinions on the game to matchday@pne.com.
