MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 03:31:54| >> :120:27768:27768:
[monks data]
Attendance: 32,140
Leicester logo
Premier League
May 7, 2016 at 5.30pm UK
 
Everton logo

3-1

Vardy (5', 65' pen.), King (33')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Mirallas (88')

Preview: Leicester City vs. Everton

Sports Mole looks ahead to Premier League champions Leicester City's home match against Everton.

Leicester City take on Everton at the King Power Stadium in their first match as Premier League Champions.

Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 draw at Chelsea this week handed an unlikely league title to the Foxes, who come up against a Toffees side with little to play for beyond pride.


Leicester City

Leicester City are crowned Premier League champions 2015-16© AFP

Claudio Ranieri's side have already achieved the seemingly impossible, but will be keen to avoid defeat when playing in front of their home supporters for the first time since completing the remarkable accomplishment.

Leicester head into the match off the back of a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United, which may not have been enough to secure the Premier League title at the time, but did extend their unbeaten run into double figures.

They salvaged the point that edged them over the line courtesy of Wes Morgan, who cancelled out Anthony Martial's early opener in the first half at Old Trafford.

That draw, coupled with Tottenham's failure to secure maximum points at Chelsea, capped off what is arguably the greatest underdog story in the history of English football.

Further evidence that the Foxes deserve their champions tag comes from the fact that they have achieved a club-record 22 wins this season, a feat that saw them wrap up first place with two matches to spare.

Recent form: WWWDWD


Everton

Roberto Martinez protests a decision during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Everton on April 20, 2016© Getty Images

The Everton camp will be in a less-than-celebratory mood as Leicester's title party gets underway, since the Blues are approaching the end of a season of heartache.

Two painful semi-final defeats in both domestic cups, coupled with lacklustre league form throughout the campaign has made 2015-16 a term to forget for Blues fans.

Many have dubbed the current crop of Toffees as the most talented Everton squad since the trophy-laden 1980s, but their recent performances and league placing of 11th does little to justify such claims.

They arrive at the King Power Stadium following a narrow 2-1 win at home to Bournemouth, but prior to that, they went seven league matches without tasting victory.

Everton's consistent underachievement has piled the pressure on manager Roberto Martinez, with many believing that the Spaniard's dismissal between now and the end of the season is an inevitability. With this in mind, how the Blues fare at Leicester may be irrelevant.

Recent form: LDDDLW
Recent form (all competitions): DDDLLW


Team News

Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring during the Premier League game between Sunderland and Leicester City on April 10, 2016© Getty Images

The headline on the team news front is the possible return of talismanic striker Jamie Vardy to the Leicester starting XI.

The 22-goal England international served the final game of his suspension as the Foxes took on United, and is likely to return to action to join in with his team's title celebrations.

Leonardo Ulloa, who has filled the void in Vardy's absence, could drop to the bench against Everton as Ranieri has been tipped to field his strongest lineup.

Robert Huth will miss the match through suspension after being charged with violent conduct in the wake of the draw with United, so Marcin Wasilewski could partner Morgan in central defence.

Everton will be without the services of Gerard Deulofeu on the right wing due to a knee injury, but could welcome back Gareth Barry in the middle of the park and Seamus Coleman at right-back.

With Phil Jagielka struggling with a recurring hamstring problem, John Stones may continue to partner Everton academy product Matthew Pennington at centre-back.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Kante, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Vardy, Okazaki

Everton possible starting lineup:
Robles; Coleman, Pennington, Stones, Baines; Gibson, McCarthy; Lennon, Barkley, Cleverley; Lukaku


Head To Head

Everton have not managed to beat Leicester in their last four attempts, a run that dates back to December 2003.

The Toffees went down 3-2 at Goodison Park when the sides last met, with PFA player of the year Riyad Mahrez bagging a brace to ensure that the Foxes topped the table at Christmas.

The three meetings between the two sides that preceded that game ended in a draw.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Leicester 2-0 Everton

The moods in each camp could not be more contrasting ahead of kickoff, with Leicester celebrating a fairytale title triumph and Everton enduring one of their most frustrating seasons in recent memory.

This will be the deciding factor between the teams on Saturday, while a goalscoring return for Vardy would hardly be the strangest thing that has happened at the King Power this season.



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 Seamus Coleman of Everton during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on September 12, 2015 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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