Leicester City face their seventh game in just over three weeks on Sunday when they travel to AFC Bournemouth looking to win their first game at Dorset since 2014.
After easing past Crystal Palace last weekend, the Foxes rescued a point at Arsenal on Tuesday night and are now only one point ahead of Manchester United in fifth. With the Red Devils hosting Southampton on Monday evening, all three points would do Leicester a massive favour.
Their opponents on Sunday evening, AFC Bournemouth. Since entering the Premier League in 2015, the Cherries have impressed and managed a ninth-place finish in their second season.
However, this season, Eddie Howe’s men have only won two of their previous 17 games and currently sit 18th. After Watford’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday, they are six points from safety.
Since the restart, the team in red and black have lost every single game apart from one, conceding 12 goals. However, they come into Sunday’s meeting on a more positive note after holding Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
A victory for Leicester would further cement their Champions League hopes, whilst anything other than win could result in the Foxes dropping to fifth. With the court hearing announcing on Monday whether Manchester City’s appeal against their two-year ban from European football has been successful or not.
Will Bournemouth fall into Leicester’s trap?
With the Cherries required to start winning now following Watford and West Ham winning, they will have to come at Leicester City and work for the three points. Luckily for Leicester, this could leave gaps in behind the midfield and defence for the visitors to penetrate their opponents.
Against Tottenham, Eddie Howe lined his team up with a 4-4-2 with Callum Wilson and Josh King playing up-front. With David Brook and Junior Stanislas playing as inside forward’s, the attack is joined by Diego Rico and Adam Smith from full-back.
It is highly likely that the Foxes will dominate possession tomorrow, but that won’t stop Bournemouth from bombing forward. With James Maddison unlikely to start, the front three that has started the previous two games could often find themselves 3-v-2.
Callum Wilson is yet to score a goal since the restart and will face a sturdy test on Sunday against a potential back three. If the former-Coventry City man can remain quiet and nullify the Cherries attacks, the game could be an easy three points for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
After Leicester, Bournemouth still has to travel to Manchester City and Everton, with a home game against Southampton in between the two difficult away games. Failure to seal a victory tomorrow, and consequently it would be an incredible task to stay up with their games coming up.
Is this another must-win for Leicester City?
In recent games, Leicester have showed glimpses of their performances of earlier in the season, especially in the 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace last Saturday. The 1-1 draw with Arsenal caused debate within the fanbase.
Originally, a draw away at Arsenal would be a welcome result. But due to the poor results since the restart, the draw at the Emirates has not helped Leicester in their quest for a top-four finish. With Manchester United dispatching Aston Villa with ease on Thursday, the gap is only one point now.
Failure to defeat Eddie Howe’s men would put their destiny out of their own hands if United seal a victory over Southampton. But can Rodgers’ men seal their victory away at their opponents since Kevin Phillips scored the winner in 2014 in the Championship?
After sealing a 3-1 victory earlier in the campaign and the performances of late, the confidence will be flowing. After being unproductive, Jamie Vardy has three goals in two games for Leicester City, and will be keen to add to his two goals against the Cherries earlier this season.
A tactical change that could come in handy would be the option to replace Mark Albrighton with either Christian Fuchs or Harvey Barnes. Both offer something different.
Fuchs showed his defensive ability and capability to still play at this level on Tuesday, slotting in well when introduced. However, he offers very little going forward and with only Youri Tielemans in the midfield who can play a killer pass, the option to play Barnes may be a better one.