Leicester City

Sunderland v Leicester
Sunderland boss Roy Keane is set to hand a debut to Dwight Yorke. But Keane could be missing Stephen Elliott, David Connolly and Dean Whitehead who were all forced off during Wednesday's win against Leeds. Leicester's Darren Kenton has been passed fit after illness forced the defender off at half-time in the midweek defeat to Hull. Danny Tiatto returns to contention (thigh) but fellow midfielder Gareth Williams is still out (ankle).

Foxes take striker Asaba on trial
Leicester City have taken striker Carl Asaba on trial at the Walkers Stadium. The 33-year-old frontman has been without a club since leaving Millwall at the end of last season and recently trained with Leeds United. Leicester boss Rob Kelly said: \"Carl is a free agent and we've taken the chance to look at him. He knows the division well and has a wealth of experience.\" Asaba has scored 119 goals in his career to date since moving from Dulwich Hamlet to Brentford in 1994.

Leicester 0-0 Colchester
Colchester stretched their unbeaten run to five games with a hard-earned point away to struggling Leicester. Chris O'Grady, Matty Fryatt and Nils-Eric Johansson's all went close as the home side made an impressive start. But the U's settled and Jamie Cureton hit a shot inches wide from 20 yards and Greg Halford curled a superb 30-yard free-kick just past the post. Foxes sub Josh Low wasted the best chance of the second half when he headed a fine Levi Porter cross over. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leicester manager Rob Kelly: \"I didn't mind the booing at the end because the fans pay their money and have the right to do that. \"The most disappointing thing is we didn't create enough chances. But on the positive side we kept a clean sheet and looked comfortable defensively. \"I want to send the crowd home happy because they pay good money but we didn't have the spark to lift them.\" Colchester manager Geraint Williams: \"Overall I though it was a great performance away from home. \"At half-time I said to the players that I was disappointed that we had not been more positive. \"Then in the second half we went on to create two or three good opportunities and at the end I was disappointed we didn't come away with the win.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leicester: Logan, Kenton (Stearman 62), McCarthy, McAuley, Johansson, Hughes (Low 57), Wesolowski, Johnson, Porter, O'Grady (Hume 68), Fryatt. Subs Not Used: Henderson, Tiatto. Colchester: Davison, Halford, Baldwin, Brown, Barker (White 79), Garcia, Watson, Izzet, Duguid, Iwelumo, Cureton. Subs Not Used: Gerken, Jackson, Guy, McLeod. Att: 22,449 Ref: C Oliver (Northumberland).

Birmingham v Leicester
Birmingham midfielder Damien Johnson serves the first of a three-match ban while centre-back Bruno N'Gotty sits out the final match of his suspension. Defender Martin Taylor is also out after picking up a stomach injury. Leicester will make a late decision on striker Matty Fryatt (ankle) but defenders Paddy McCarthy and Richard Stearman are fit to play after a virus. Midfielder Gareth Williams (ankle) and keeper Rab Douglas (shoulder) have recovered and should be on the bench.

Mandaric plays down Foxes link
Former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric insists reports saying there is a 50-50 chance of him buying Leicester are wide of the mark. Mandaric recently cut his ties with Pompey and insists he needs some time away from football. He told Sir Stanley: \"I am ten days away from my emotional departure from Portsmouth and I am not making any strong commitments anywhere. \"But I do have tremendous respect for Leicester and you never know.\" Mandaric added: \"I would still like to be away for football for a little bit longer than I am. \"I have never indicated I had any dialogue with Leicester people or was close to any kind of deal.\" He admitted: \"Leicester are a very interesting club and in future if I were to come back in football I would not ignore it. \"But I'm not saying I am anywhere close to acquring Leicester City - I have not had any conversation with the people from the football club.\" The Serbian businessman, 68, added: \"I am football mad and love the game and the English game - I have tremendous experience and memories with Portsmouth.\"

Foxes dealt Fryatt injury setback
Leicester striker Matty Fryatt has suffered a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury and faces a further two weeks on the sidelines. The 20-year-old picked up the knock after an innocuous challenge in training two weeks ago. Assistant boss Mike Stowell told the club website: \"It has taken a while to get an assessment on Matty. He has had a fair bit of swelling from his injury. \"It is looking as though he is going to be out for another two weeks.\"

Foxes reveal profit for 2005-06
Leicester chief executive Tim Davies has revealed the club made a profit of £1.6m in the 2005-06 season. That marks a significant turnaround for the club after they reported a £3.5m loss for the 2004-05 campaign. Davies attributed most of the profit to the £3m sale of striker David Connolly to Wigan and the sponsorship deal with Alliance & Leicester. However, a fall in attendances saw gate receipts slump by almost 25% to £4.82m while broadcasting receipts also fell. \"On the face of it our balance sheets are relatively healthy,\" Davies said. \"That is pleasing but what is disappointing is the fact we finished 16th in the Championship last season, which is simply not good enough. \"We have always maintained that any profits will be invested straight back into the team but, obviously, performances on the field will continue to underpin the activities of the company.\" Davies added that the results included compensation paid to former manager Craig Levein following his sacking in January.

Leicester v Southampton
Leicester midfielder Stephen Hughes is a doubt after sustaining a thigh injury earlier in the week that has prevented him from training in the last few days. Matty Fryatt will be out for another two weeks with his ankle injury, while Patrick Kisnorbo is suspended. Southampton skipper Claus Lundekvam is expected to return after injuring his ankle on the opening day of the season. Gareth Bale could be rested after playing twice for Wales, while Inigo Idiakez is fit after a hamstring knock.

Leicester 3-2 Southampton
Leicester's Richard Stearman settled a pulsating encounter with Southampton and sealed the win for the Foxes. Iain Hume put Leicester ahead with a long-range effort only to see Jhon Viafara equalise before the break. Hume restored the lead with a stunning volley outside the area but again Saints answered when Inigo Idiakez unleashed a low angled drive. But Stearman had the last word in the 65th minute when he headed home Nils-Eric Johansson's rebound. # Leicester manager Rob Kelly: \"Instead of setting their stall out for a draw the game was much more open, allowing us to score. \"I'm very pleased with Iain Hume because he works very hard and he got his reward.\" But Kelly revealed some bad news for captain Paddy McCarthy: \"He broke his nose and is quite a mess. He is a doubt now for Tuesday's match at Leeds.\" # Southampton manager George Burley: \"We didn't play well in the first half but after the break I thought there was only going to be one winner, and that was us. \"In the second half we got our passing game going and went on to dominate. The boys are in the changing room asking how they managed to lose. \"But we showed today we are capable of going anywhere in the league and creating chances.\" Leicester: Logan, Kenton (Stearman 59), McAuley, McCarthy, Johansson, Low (Hughes 72), Williams, Johnson, Tiatto, Hume, Hammond (O'Grady 90). Subs Not Used: Henderson, Porter. Booked: Johnson, Tiatto. Goals: Hume 35, 62, Stearman 65. Southampton: Davis, Makin, Ostlund, Lundekvam, Baird, Wright (Licka 73), Viafara, Idiakez, Skacel (Surman 49), Wright-Phillips (McGoldrick 76), Rasiak. Subs Not Used: Miller, Pele. Booked: Viafara, Lundekvam, Ostlund, Rasiak. Goals: Viafara 45, Idiakez 64. Att: 21,347 Ref: K Hill (Hertfordshire).

On-loan Sheffield United striker Geoff Horsfield is a major doubt for Leeds after suffering a hamstring injury. Richard Cresswell could be a straight swap for Horsfield, otherwise John Carver has no new injuries or suspension worries. Leicester skipper Patrick McCarthy is a major doubt after breaking his nose against Southampton. Darren Kenton, Gareth McAuley, Nils-Eric Johansson, Andy Johnson and Danny Tiatto also all picked up knocks.

Welsh signs Leicester loan deal
Leicester have completed the loan signing of Sunderland striker Andy Welsh until the end of the season. The 23-year-old former Stockport forward spent a two-month spell at the Walkers Stadium at the end of last season, making a total of 10 appeances. But he then returned to the Stadium of Light and played in the Black Cats' last two Premiership games. Leicester boss Rob Kelly said: \"It took a little while to get the deal done but I am pleased we got there.\" The 23-year-old is included in the Foxes squad for Tuesday's Championship clash against Leeds at Elland Road.

Leicester v Crystal Palace
Leicester are likely to be without Gareth Williams, Darren Kenton, Matty Fryatt and Andy Johnson (all ankle). Paddy McCarthy (broken nose) is a doubt but youngster James Wesolowski could shake off a knock in time to feature. Crystal Palace could be without both Mark Kennedy (Achilles) and James Scowcroft (hamstring). Dougie Freedman (hamstring), Jobi McAnuff (hernia), Michael Hughes (knee), Matt Lawrence (toe) and Danny Butterfield (ankle) are also doubts.

Leicester 1-1 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace manager Peter Taylor was made to settle for just a point on his return to former club Leicester. Palace took the lead when Tom Soares, who had not scored for over a year, converted after Leon Cort hit the bar. Clinton Morrison hit the post as the Eagles threatened to overwhelm their hosts, but then Iain Hume equalised. Elvis Hammond was brought down by Darren Ward and Hume, who would come close in the second half with an overhead kick, converted from the spot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leicester boss Rob Kelly: \"Danny Tiatto and Stephen Hughes were carrying knocks and otherwise wouldn't have played but because of injuries to others they had to play. \"We haven't got the biggest squad in the world and there is no money to bring anyone in so, considering the injuries we have got, this squad is doing fantastically well. \"I thought we probably shaded the game. \"We got into a lot of good positions but we had a shot when we should have passed and passed when we should have had a shot.\" Crystal Palace boss Peter Taylor: \"I'm pleased because it was an improved performance. Leicester have just had a couple of good results so they were always going to be dangerous. \"But my players thought that the foul for their penalty was outside the box. If that is true then it's very disappointing. I thought it was a harsh decision anyway. \"I'm pleased with the players because we needed to get something after a couple of poor results.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leicester: Logan, Stearman, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Johansson, Low (Sylla 64), Hughes, Tiatto, Welsh, Hume, Hammond. Subs Not Used: Henderson, Maybury, O'Grady, Wesolowski. Goals: Hume 37 pen. Crystal Palace: Kiraly, Lawrence, Cort, Ward, Borrowdale, Reich (Green 72), Fletcher, Soares (Watson 85), Kennedy, Morrison, Kuqi (Freedman 73). Subs Not Used: Hudson, Speroni. Booked: Ward. Goals: Soares 16. Att: 28,762 Ref: G Salisbury (Lancashire).

QPR v Leicester
QPR midfielders Marc Bircham (hamstring) and Martin Rowlands (calf) are hoping to shake off slight injuries for the visit of Leicester. Gareth Ainsworth and Paul Furlong are likely to miss out as they are still building up match fitness. Leicester goalkeeper Conrad Logan could be restored to the line-up after recovering from a finger injury. They may also be boosted by the return of Darren Kenton, Danny Tiatto and Levi Porter from injury and illness.

QPR 1-1 Leicester
Martin Rowlands' second-half penalty prevented QPR from slipping to a third successive defeat against 10-man Leicester at Loftus Road. Skipper Patrick Kisnorbo gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead with a header to register his fourth goal of the season. Midway through the second half Gareth McAuley handled Blackstock's shot on the line, which earning a red card. Rowlands, who had hit the post earlier, fired in from the spot to seal a draw. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QPR manager John Gregory: \"I think Leicester manager Rob Kelly was happy to get away with a point. \"We had lots of possession and lots of good chances. The boys know they should have won that game. \"Maybe with just a little bit more composure in the last third and we could have turned that into a victory.\" Leicester manager Rob Kelly: \"I think if we'd won we'd have ridden our luck but it was a magnificent effort. \"We couldn't have asked more of them off the back of a hectic schedule and we've got a base to go from. \"We haven't lost for seven games and we've drawn too many of them but it's important we don't lose. it's a young team which I believe will get better.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QPR: Royce, Rehman, Kanyuka (Mancienne 23), Stewart, Bignot, Rowlands (Ainsworth 75), Lomas, Smith, Cook, Nygaard (Gallen 58), Blackstock. Subs Not Used: Paul Jones, Rose. Booked: Lomas, Smith. Goals: Rowlands 68 pen. Leicester: Logan, Stearman, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Johansson, Wesolowski (Maybury 46), Kenton, Tiatto, Welsh (Fryatt 74), Hume, Hammond (McCarthy 69). Subs Not Used: Henderson, Sylla. Sent Off: McAuley (68). Booked: Hume. Goals: Kisnorbo 7. Att: 12,430 Ref: K Stroud (Dorset).

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