Match Preview: Leicester City vs Brighton

Leicester City 12th (9-5-13) vs Brighton 16th (7-6-13)

Tuesday at 2:45 PM ET on NBC Sports Gold

Claude Puel was quickly departed with on the Sabbath as the club rendered his services no longer useful. It was a reign that didn’t last very long, but had a lot surrounding it, and like the show, Leicester must go on. Mike Stowell will lead the side out on Tuesday and nobody really knows what to expect.

The Opposition

Brighton haven’t won a league match since they defeated Everton 1-0 on December 29th. They got an extra few days rest as well since they were slated to face Chelsea but were postponed due to their match in the Carabao Cup. Much like Leicester, they’re form early on suggested they would be safe, but have since helter skeltered down to the depths of uncertainty.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Another former Fox comes home Tuesday, but may not even get a chance to face his former side. Relegated to the bench after what I thought was a very good string of performances, he’s hardly appeared in the starting 11. His fantastic goal against Derby may give Chris Houghton something to think about.

The Foxes

After crumbling for no reason whatsoever to Palace, Puel was sacked and Jamie Vardy punched a door. While the performances were there as of late under the Frenchman, the results were damning and down right dreadful. If someone, ANYONE, could have found a way to score a goal when they had the chance, we might be in a different scenario, but I’ll leave parallel universes and the chaos theory to the folks at the BBC and Doctor Who.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

I am very much under the opinion that the players have no one to blame but themselves. Three times the club has done this and we may yet be doomed to doing it again. Whatever curse has wrought the management since winning the title needs to be broken and while tactics and management decisions can be questioned, when simple things like marking your man go missing, and a general switching off for the first 15 minutes of every game, it’s up to the players to make this right. They are professionals, this is their life. We’ve seen it happen to our club, as well as, Chelsea and Manchester United, and no offense to Leicester, but we can’t afford to go down. Those other two clubs inevitably have the resources and talent to stay up no matter the trouble, Leicester on the other hand do not.

The Prediction

Whatever happens, just make sure you win the game. Wins make everyone smile and forget the past. If you didn’t want to play under Puel, make sure you’re ready to play under whoever else is next. You’re not playing for Mike Stowell now, you’re playing for you. Just win no matter the cost.