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Location: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England
Kick-off time: 7:45 PM GMT, 2:45 PM Eastern, 11:45 AM Pacific
Confidence couldn’t have been any lower for the Foxes heading into their previous match-up against Manchester City, but a dominating 4-2 victory has fans feeling optimistic heading to Bournemouth on Tuesday. It’s amazing what one victory can do for your club.
Pep Guardiola’s 3-4-3 line-up against Leicester was compromised in the first six minutes when Jamie Vardy and Andy King put the Foxes up 2-0 early. The performance showed fans that maybe there’s still some hope for this side in the Premier League after the majority of its good performances came in Europe (we’re coming for you, Sevilla).
Bournemouth are a side that Leicester has had a lot of success against over the years, having not lost to the Cherries since March 27, 1989. The two clubs took a point off one another in both fixtures last season, drawing 1-1 at the Vitality Stadium and 0-0 at the King Power.
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Leicester have the chance to win back-to-back matches for the first time since last April during their run to the title. Three points would vault the Foxes above the Cherries into 12th in the table, setting up a weekend clash with Stoke that could possibly squeak the champions into the top half of the table. Talk about a reversal of fortune from a few weeks ago.
A reinvigorated Jamie Vardy on the back of his first hat-trick since 2012 will only boost the Foxes’ chances, and Bournemouth have been a side that have attracted goals from all sides this season. Their last three matches have included 16 goals and the Cherries have conceded three in each of those contests. Callum Wilson is a threat up front for Bournemouth with five goals this campaign, and Jack Wilshere has seemed to finally find his form after a bit of consistency in the midfield with the club from the south.
Danny Drinkwater returns for Leicester from a three-match suspension and should slot in for a man like Daniel Amartey alongside Andy King. Kasper Schmeichel has returned to training for the Foxes, so manager Claudio Ranieri’s men are getting back to full strength. The return of Matty James against Manchester City was applauded by the King Power faithful after missing the entire title campaign last year with a torn ACL.