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Key events
58 min: … so having said that, Soumare picks it up a bit, driving down the middle and slipping a ball to the right for Castagne, who slaps a shot towards the bottom right. Easy for Guaita.
57 min: Leicester’s pace has dropped a little.
55 min: A double change by Palace, as Mitchell and Doucoure make way for Riedewald and Milivojevic.
53 min: Andersen rakes a long free kick wide left for Mitchell, who takes one touch to scoot past Amartey and enter the Leicester box. He can’t find a team-mate with his low cross, though. Such a shame, because that was a very simple but visually pleasing move.
52 min: Barnes and Daka one-two their way down the inside-left channel. Barnes is in! But he takes a heavy touch that allows Guaita to smother at his feet. Pretty sure VAR would have ruled out any goal for offside, but that’s all academic.
51 min: … Justin hoicks a long-distance shot miles over the bar.
50 min: Maddison’s corner skims off the top of Andersen’s confused noggin. He’ll take another, this time from the right. And from that …
49 min: Leicester have started the second half brightly. Castagne barrels down the right but Daka can’t control his cross. They try again down the left, Dewsbury-Hall winning a corner that Maddison will take.
47 min: Leicester come again quickly, Barnes sent scampering down the left by Dewsbury-Hall. He reaches the byline and cuts back for Maddison, who leans back and hoicks over from just inside the box. He really should have worked Guaita at the very least.
46 min: Dewsbury-Hall and Maddison combine cutely down the inside-right channel, and feed Daka into space. Daka smacks low and hard towards the bottom right, forcing Guaita to turn the ball around the post. The flag then pops up belatedly for offside.
Leicester get the ball rolling again. No changes by either side.
Half-time entertainment. Hot off the press, it’s Wilson!
HALF TIME: Leicester City 0-0 Crystal Palace
The free kick is a non-event, and that’s a fitting end to the half. A few boos of displeasure as the teams make their way back down the tunnel.
45 min +1: The first of two added minutes sees Doucoure booked for a late slide on Dewsbury-Hall. A free kick 35 yards out. Maddison will swing it upfield with everyone lined up on the edge of the Palace box.
45 min: Dewsbury-Hall pings a diagonal pass towards Castagne, just inside the Palace box on the right. Castagne chests down, but only succeeds in sending the ball flying out for a goal kick. A more cushioned take would have set up a shooting chance.
43 min: A bit of space for Eze, 25 yards out. He creams a rising shot towards the top right. Danny Ward fingertips over … or does he? The referee – who earlier in the Palace move had expertly and gymnastically contorted his body in mid-air to get out of the road of a pass (6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0) – awards a goal kick.
41 min: Guaita comes through a crowded box and punches clear. Some no-nonsense goalkeeping, right there.
40 min: Dewsbury-Hall jigs down the left and draws a cynical tug from Schlupp. Free kick, just to the left of the Palace box. Maddison to take.
38 min: Andersen sprays a long diagonal towards Eze on the left. Eze cuts infield and tries to release Edouard down the middle, but overcooks the pass, which runs through to Danny Ward. It’s not quite clicking in the final third for either team.
36 min: Maddison curls a low ball in from the right wing. It so nearly finds Daka, racing down the inside-right channel, but instead rolls through to Guaita.
35 min: Andersen launches long. Edouard scampers after it. Danny Ward comes out of his box and tries to shepherd the ball back into the area. But there’s not enough pace on the ball. He manages to flick it away from the incoming Edouard just in time. The crowd, who aren’t four-square behind their struggling keeper, didn’t appreciate that cameo too much.
33 min: Mitchell is back up and running, albeit gingerly at the moment.
32 min: Mitchell is down having been clipped on the heel by Soumare. There didn’t appear to be too much in it, but then again we don’t have the necessary medical documentation, so let’s wait and see. On comes the trainer.
30 min: The resulting free kick is curled in from the right. Guehi rises highest and sends a header over the bar from six yards. He should have done better, though it doesn’t really matter as the flag would have surely gone up for offside.
29 min: Ayew spins away from Justin down the right and is hauled back by the shirt. A free kick, and Justin is fortunate not to go into the book.
27 min: Leicester stroke it around in an aesthetically pleasing style. They don’t go anywhere, but there’s nothing wrong with art for art’s sake.
25 min: Daka tears clear of Andersen down the left. He reaches the edge of the Palace box only to be held up by Guehi. He cuts back for Dewsbury-Hall, but the momentum is lost and the attack fizzles out. Leicester are the bosses of their left flank. Palace, with Andersen already on a yellow, have a problem to solve.
23 min: A corner on the right leads to a corner on the left. Guaita punches Maddison’s inswinger confidently clear. A sustained period of Leicester pressure – 92 percent possession during the last five minutes – comes to an end.
22 min: Leicester aren’t a one-man show, though, and now it’s Daka who strides down the inside-right and sends a rising shot towards the top right. Guaita is forced to palm around the post for a corner.
20 min: Barnes comes again! And once again Mitchell clears with players lurking. Palace will need to do something about this, because Barnes is threatening every 60 seconds or so.
19 min: Barnes once again makes good down the left, fed by Dewsbury-Hall this time. He whistles a low cross into the mixer. It doesn’t reach Daka, and Mitchell clears.
18 min: Barnes tries the same thing, this time with Maddison. The one-two doesn’t come off this time, but there’s palpable excitement whenever Barnes gets the ball. He looks in the mood today.
17 min: Leicester have been quiet, but suddenly spring into life as Barnes and Daka exchange crisp passes down the left. Suddenly Barnes is clear in the box! He opens his body and tries to slot past Guaita, but the keeper stays big and parries. Daka can’t get to the rebound and Palace clear their lines.
15 min: Joel Ward turns Barnes down the right and is cynically clipped. Barnes is fortunate not to follow Andersen into the book.
13 min: Some space for Edouard down the right as he turns Amartey under a long ball. He reaches the byline with ease and fizzes a low cross through the Leicester six-yard box. There’s nobody there in white to trundle home. Leicester’s defence is beginning to look a little ragged all of a sudden.
12 min: Faes quarterbacks from deep. He nearly finds Maddison with a raking pass down the middle, but Guaita is wise to the grift and comes to the edge of his box to claim.
11 min: The first booking of the afternoon as Andersen slides in recklessly on Daka. He can have no complaints.
10 min: Amartey snoozes and ships possession 30 yards from his own goal. Groans from the crowd. He’s lucky Eze snatches at his shot on the edge of the box when he should have worked Danny Ward.
8 min: Castagne probes down the right only to be unceremoniously stopped in his tracks by Guehi. Both teams look fairly lively in attack; both have so far been resolute in defence.
6 min: Another free kick in a dangerous position, this time for Palace, as Schlupp hares down the right and draws a foul from Soumare, just outside the box. Eze pulls it back, carelessly so, and it’s nearly intercepted by Tielemans. Doucoure rescues the situation by getting in first and rolling it to the left for Zaha, who looks for the top-right corner. Always high, always wide. That was a good chance, despite the vague whiff of cock-up in the air.
4 min: Maddison whips into the box and across Guaita, looking for the top right. The Palace keeper punches clear with confidence. The visitors counter through Edouard, who is in space down the left. Faes comes across and blocks well to put a stop to Edouard’s gallop.
3 min: Leicester are on the front foot in the early stages. Justin makes good down the left and is upended by Andersen. A free kick in a very dangerous position.
The knee is taken – there’s no room for racism – and Palace get the ball rolling. It’s a crisp afternoon in Leicester.
The teams are out. Leicester in blue, Palace in second-choice white with the old Team-of-the-Eighties sash upended. We’ll be off in a minute!
Patrick Vieira’s turn. “With the difficulties we have had, the way we were performing, the team deserved a couple of points more. We don’t want to look at the table, we have to look at the players Leicester have. They have good players, a good manager, they are not where they are supposed to be. We have to be at our best to compete against them, they are better than what the league table is saying.”
Brendan Rodgers talks to BT Sport. “This group is talented. We’ve played well in a lot of games but not been able to see it through. It’s important we stay calm and patient, and take care of the details. Jonny Evans felt a tightness in his calf so we’ll see how he is for the Thursday game. The crowd is so important for us. Hopefully we can get the three points.”
Leicester City make one change to the starting XI selected for the 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth. Daniel Amartey replaces Jonny Evans in the centre of defence.
Crystal Palace also make just one change, after the 2-1 victory over Leeds United. Tyrick Mitchell comes in for the benched Michael Olise.
The teams
Leicester City: Ward, Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Justin, Soumare, Maddison, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes, Daka.
Subs: Soyuncu, Vardy, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Perez, Mendy, Praet, Iversen, Thomas.
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Eze, Doucoure, Schlupp, Ayew, Edouard, Zaha.
Subs: Milivojevic, Tomkins, Olise, Mateta, Johnstone, Ebiowei, Riedewald, Gordon, Balmer.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire).
Preamble
If Leicester are defeated this lunchtime, it’ll be only the third time in their 138-year history that they’ll have lost eight of their first ten league matches. Oh Brendan! Pressure’s on! The good news for the Foxes: they’ve won this particular fixture in each of the last three seasons. The bad news: Crystal Palace like playing Leicester, having won eight out of 20 in the Premier League.
Both teams are at the wrong end of the Premier League table. But the mood music around 15th-placed Palace is good after a decent showing in defeat against Chelsea and a home victory over Leeds. Leicester by contrast came a cropper last weekend from a winning position at Bournemouth; have lost five of their last six, shipping five against Brighton and six at Spurs; and have a tricky run before the World Cup break. Plenty of misery, plenty of pressure, and only Steven Gerrard and Liz Truss Ralph Hasenhuttl are on hotter seats right now. Big game here! Kick off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!
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