Preview: Leicester City vs. Queens Park Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Ruud van Nistelrooy's archetypal sensation of knockout shot arsenic Leicester City caput manager sees the Foxes invited Queens Park Rangers to the King Power Stadium for Saturday's FA Cup third-round clash.

It has been astir 38 years to the time since the sides past met successful the prestigious competition, though fewer volition backmost QPR to replicate their 5-2 thrashing of Leicester from that 1987 affair.

Match preview

© Imago

A location brushwood against a lower-division squad appears to beryllium conscionable what the doc ordered for Leicester, who person been brought crashing backmost down to world aft the caller manager bounce nether Van Nistelrooy rapidly subsided.

Since collecting their past Premier League constituent against Brighton & Hove Albion astatine the opening of December, Saturday's hosts person been enactment to the sword successful each of their past 5 top-flight matches and are the lone broadside successful the part without a azygous constituent from the past 15 connected offer.

Van Nistelrooy's harvest did springiness Champions League-competing Aston Villa a bully tally for their wealth connected matchday 20, but strikes from Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey either broadside of a Stephy Mavididi leveller sent Leicester backmost to the King Power empty-handed from a 2-1 defeat.

Nineteenth successful the Premier League table with a two-point spread to Wolverhampton Wanderers successful 17th spot, the Foxes person bigger food to fry than a tally successful the FA Cup, but they seldom disappoint aboriginal connected successful the competition.

Indeed, not since the 2018-19 run person the Foxes been eliminated successful the 3rd round, and 18 FA Cup lucifer wins since the 2017-18 play is the fourth-best successful each the land; lone Manchester City (31), Chelsea (26) and Manchester United (25) person much successes to their sanction successful that time.

© Imago

In stark opposition to the 2020-21 FA Cup winners' pleasing tally, upcoming visitors QPR clasp an unwanted contention record; since the existent tourney format came into effect successful 1925, they person mislaid a staggering 51 third-round matches, much than immoderate different team.

In fact, 8 of QPR's past 11 runs successful the FA Cup person ended astatine this nonstop hurdle, including successful each of the past 2 campaigns against Bournemouth and Fleetwood Town, and the Championship outfit are yet to adhd a maiden tourney trophy to their humble silverware collection.

Marti Cifuentes's men should besides beryllium prioritising league matters implicit knockout fortunes, though their caller signifier gives emergence to an FA Cup surprise; the visitors edged retired recently-relegated Luton Town 2-1 successful their astir caller Championship contention and are present 13th successful the standings, mathematically person to the playoff spots than the relegation places.

After not winning immoderate of their 13 matches from September 14 to November 23, the QPR faithful opted to instrumentality with Cifuentes alternatively than twist and are present reaping the rewards; the Hoops person present travel up trumps successful six of their past 10 Championship matches, albeit portion besides conceding successful each of their past six.

QPR's past sojourn to the King Power besides ended successful an unexpected triumph - they stunned Enzo Maresca's squad 2-1 successful a March 2024 Championship clash - but Leicester had won 4 of their erstwhile 5 battles, including a 5-1 Premier League trouncing successful May 2015 earlier the Hoops bid farewell to the apical flight.

Leicester City signifier (all competitions):

Queens Park Rangers signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Leicester did not travel retired of their travel to Villa Park unscathed connected the carnal front, arsenic centre-back Jannik Vestergaard came disconnected with an wounded conscionable past the hr mark, and it is inactive not known whether helium is suffering from a sound oregon thing much sinister.

Van Nistelrooy is decidedly missing Wilfred Ndidi (thigh), Ricardo Pereira (thigh), Mads Hermansen (groin) and Abdul Fatawu (knee) for the third-round clash, but Victor Kristiansen (illness) and Kasey McAteer (unspecified) person not been ruled retired conscionable yet.

Both players should travel into contention for promotion to the archetypal XI if passed fit, and the aforesaid goes for Bobby Decordova-Reid, who scored his maiden FA Cup extremity against QPR portion connected the books astatine Fulham successful 2021.

Likewise, QPR were dealt a caller stroke successful Monday's occurrence implicit Luton, wherever Paul Smyth was substituted successful the 61st infinitesimal with an unspecified concern, but helium does not look to person sustained a superior problem.

Striker Zan Celar (hamstring) and chap attacker Karamoko Dembele (knock) stay retired too, but Cifuentes's squad is different successful bully nick for the travel to Leicester.

With a seven-day interruption successful betwixt Saturday's crippled and a travel to Plymouth Argyle, the Hoops brag tin spend to spell strong, though Koki Saito volition deputise for Smyth connected the helping if request be.

Leicester City imaginable starting lineup:
Iversen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Skipp, Soumare; Decordova-Reid, Buonanotte, Mavididi; Daka

We say: Leicester City 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

Leicester and QPR whitethorn beryllium heading successful other trajectories successful their respective leagues, but cleanable sheets stay hard to travel by for Cifuentes's side, adjacent if the feel-good origin has returned.

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