On Saturday, January 28, struggling Leicester City will travel to Walsall in the fourth round of the FA Cup to try to end a three-game losing streak.
Since their 1-0 victory over Gillingham in the competition’s final round, the Foxes have lost three of their last five games. Brendan Rodgers’ team lost to Newcastle United 2-0 in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals during this time.
Since winning the competition in 2021, Leicester are now aiming to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time. In contrast, Andy Williams scored a penalty kick in the 95th minute to give Walsall a 2-1 victory over Stockport in the cup’s final round.
Prediction
It’s possible that Michael Flynn is relishing the chance to face Leicester once more in the hope of defeating them. However, despite their recent struggles, the Foxes should win by a narrow margin and advance to the next round because they appear to be a much stronger unit on paper.
Prediction: Neither Walsall nor Leicester City
Head-to-Head
- The two teams have met 19 times before, with Leicester winning 12 of those games and losing three of them.
- This will be the first time Leicester and Walsall have met since February 2009, when the Foxes beat them 4-1 in the League Cup. Walsall last played Leicester in January 1978, losing 1-0 in the FA Cup, and they haven’t played since.
- The last time Walsall reached the fourth round of the FA Cup was in 2015-16, when they lost to Reading. They want to make it back to the cup’s fifth round for the first time since the 2002-2003 campaign.
- Leicetser has only lost one of their last nine FA Cup matches against English football’s fourth division. That was in the 2018-19 season against Newport County, who were managed at the time by Michael Flynn, the current manager of Walsall.
- Kelechi Iheanacho, a forward for Leicester, has scored 16 goals in 22 FA Cup games. In his last six games, he scored six goals, including the winner against Gillingham in the third round.
Lineup
Walsall:
- Evans;
- White, Daniels, McEntee;
- Knowles, Kinsella, Hutchinson, Comley, Gordon;
- Williams, Johnson
Leicester:
- Iversen;
- Castagne, Soyuncu, Vestergaard, Kristiansen;
- Albrighton, Mendy, Brunt, Perez;
- Daka, Iheanacho
Team news
Jamille Matt, a Walsall newcomer who played for Forest Green Rovers in the first round of the competition, is ineligible to play this round. As a result, Williams, Douglas James-Taylor, and Conor Wilkinson will compete to play alongside Johnson in front of the goal.
Johnson suffered an injury in the FA Cup victory over Stockport, but he recovered in time for the draw with Tranmere, where Manny Monthe was sent off for two bookable offenses. As a result, Johnson is suspended for the game against Leicester.
Oisin McEntee ought to step in for Monthe, and Walsall have also acquired former Cameroon youth international Yann Songo’o from Bradford City, who is eligible to make his debut here.
Betting Tips
Result: Goals scored by Leicester that were higher or lower than 2.5: Both teams to score over 2.5: Yes
Where to watch
Sony LIV is the only platform that will stream the Emirates FA Cup 2022-23 live.