Why Leicester and Ipswich fans are joining forces amid fitness worry

It is not often that fans of separate clubs in the same country come together in harmony. Supporters of two teams in the same division, especially the Premier League, never really collaborate or get on. Two relegation-threatened groups uniting is unheard of, as far as I can recall. So why are Leicester City and Ipswich Town fans joining forces soon? And what will people make of it?

In the meantime, Foxes preparations will be well underway ready for the League Cup clash with Manchester United on Wednesday evening. The Red Devils have, of course, just sacked former manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman always appeared out of his depth even when lifting the odd lesser trophy with the Old Trafford side.

This development is, naturally, not good news for the east Midlands outfit. It would have surely been easier for the King Power men to face Man United with ten Hag than without him. Many clubs receive on-field boosts when switching bosses. Meanwhile City boss Steve Cooper has provided LCFC fitness news before facing Man Utd.

Manchester United vs Leicester City

So, will the northern English side actually have a gaffer in place by the time of the upcoming midweek match? Possibly. Portuguese Ruben Amorim of Sporting Lisbon is the man said to be 'closing in' on the position. Will he be at the stadium Wednesday? Again, possibly; Amorim is unlikely to be in the dugout but I would bet money that he'll be in the stands.

Regardless of whether or not the 39-year-old is at the United helm or not, planning continues in Leicestershire. Cooper temporarily halted proceedings at LCFC's Seagrave Training Centre to speak to media representatives in his pre-match press conference.

First of all, good and bad news. Denmark international Jannik Vestergaard is back in contention to feature in the Carabao Cup fixture. However, fellow defender Victor Kristiansen has been ruled out of the encounter by Cooper. Players such as Patson Daka remain unavailable.

Foxes and Ipswich Town's Tractor Boys join up

The City and Town faithfuls are respectively 'putting rivalries aside' at present. The two fan bases are coming together to make a demand to Premier League clubs. They want chiefs to 'stop exploiting fan loyalty'.

Some observers will be surprised or even shocked that the loyal sets of supporters are able to unify in this small yet significant way. But it is a worthy cause:

"IPSWICH TOWN and Leicester City fans are putting rivalries to one side on Saturday to back the Football Supporters Association’s (FSA) national Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign.

Elijah Aldridge, from Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks: We hope Town supporters will turn up in their numbers to support the campaign.

The Foxes Trust’s Steve Mould was keen to emphasise the importance of match-going supporters: The powers-that-be in football are keen to repeat the mantra ‘football is nothing without fans... That very lifeblood is in danger of being drained from many clubs."