Premier League - Leicester City vs Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

[Frosty]

Leicester City V Ipswich Town



Sunday 18th May 2025 – 15:00


King Power Stadium







Pre Match Thoughts - Mike


Last weekends home defeat at the hands of Brentford FC saw Town once again come out second best in a close encounter where chances were at a premium and neither keeper overly tested with many real saves to make. The only goal of the game was a bit of a weird affair with shenanigans going on inside the penalty box with players pushing and pulling each other to the ground, some of the refereeing was odd to say the least and the nature of how we conceded left a bit of a sour taste in the Mouth, that aside our defending at the corner was poor and it's been a bit of a thing over the second half of the season, the defence just comes up short time after time.

All that aside I didn't think Town played too badly really, the opposition were after all a side bang in form and had been scoring goals so to limit them to just the One does lend itself to a level of satisfaction. There weren't many chances for Town to find the net, in fact the best Two opportunities fell to Substitute George Hirst, firstly with the header which on reflection should probably have hit the net and then when through One on One he put his effort wide after seemingly stumbling over his own feet. I did think we looked more on it once Hirst and his fellow subs had come on and yes it was against a tiring defence but we still looked more of a threat. this is what worries me with Hirst, not his overall game but his finishing and goal ratio, those chances have to be taken more than they are missed but that is often not the case.

As much as I love Liam Delap I thought he was poor Saturday and probably turned in his worst performance of the season, it did have a look about it of a player who is already on his way to pastures new if I am honest and that is disappointing but with young players not overly surprising. on the flip side I thought Enciso had an excellent game, full of energy, drive and commitment and really did give his all to the cause, sadly everything else around him just looked bang average really, some look a little lost when it matters most and this is why when it comes down to the nitty gritty we invariably come out second best in close contests as was the case here.

This Sunday sees Town wind up their away campaign with a trip to lowly Leicester City who have had as equally bad a season as we have, in fact with their squad they should feel a whole lot more disappointed than we do as they had some players with Premier League nous but it just has not worked out well for them at all.

Clearly it would be lovely to end the season above the Foxes so avoiding defeat is paramount here but there are a couple of warning signs for me. I am assuming this will be Jamie vardy's last ever game home game for Leicester and he will want to go out with a bang, love him or loathe him he has been an incredible servant to the club and I admire everything he has achieved and the way he rose from non league to the full England squad, I would have loved Town to have had a regular goalscorer like vardy of the last few years, I just get the feeling he is destined to sign off with a goal or Two on Sunday.

Town certainly felt aggrieved at the conclusion of the Home game between the Two sides, the utterly ridiculous penalty that wasn't for the foul on Chaplin defied belief and then to have it compounded for a crazy Red card seconds latter for Kelvin Phillips really did feel like we had been cheated out of what could have been a crucial win, sadly the way the season has panned out probably rendered the events irrelevant but at the time it certainly did not feel like that.

I think I am edging towards a high scoring draw in this one with the vardy effect almost guaranteeing they will score, I do feel maybe it would be right to start with George Hirst for this and then give Delap his final goodbye next week at home to West ham Utd, but as we all know Kieran doesn't do change or surprise so it's probably going to be as you were, either way it's One game closer to release from this disappointing campaign. COYB'S



The Opposition – Leicester City FC - Honours


League

First Division / Premier League

Champions: 2015–16
Runners-up: 1928–29

Second Division / First Division / Championship

Champions: 1924–25, 1936–37, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1970–71, 1979–80, 2013–14, 2023-24
Runners-up: 1907–08, 2002–03
Play-off winners: 1994, 1996

League One

Champions: 2008–09


Cup


FA Cup

Winners: 2020–21
Runners-up: 1948–49, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1968–69

League Cup

Winners: 1963–64, 1996–97, 1999–2000
Runners-up: 1964–65, 1998–99

FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield

Winners: 1971, 2021
Runners-up: 2016



The Manager – Ruud van Nistelrooy







League Table as at 14.05.2025







Form Guide



Leicester City FC



12 Apr Brighton 2 - 2 Leicester City

20 Apr Leicester City 0 - 1 Liverpool

26 Apr Wolverhampton 3 - 0 Leicester City

3 May Leicester City 2 - 0 Southampton

11 May Nottm Forest 2 - 2 Leicester City





Ipswich Town



13 Apr Chelsea 2 - 2 Ipswich Town

20 Apr Ipswich Town 0 - 4 Arsenal

26 Apr Newcastle Utd 3 - 0 Ipswich Town

3 May Everton 2 - 2 Ipswich Town

10 May Ipswich Town 0 - 1 Brentford





Head to Head







Match Referee – Andrew Kitchen







LEICESTER CITY 1 IPSWICH TOWN 2

[shabba]

I actually feel this is a really big game, I want us to finish above them and it could lay down a marker for where we really are this season. Ie are we that bad or are we actually better than saints/Leicester.

They could be a main rival next season so I’m keen to see how we do.

I’d not be against starting Hirst.

[Bluemike]

It's also a 3 Million pound game.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

Yes - it will be Vardy's final Leicester home game - he'll be well up for it, and I cannot see our defence coping with him. Plus I really cannot see where our goal threat is coming from. Leicester 3 - Town 0

[shabba]

it's actually his last game for them full stop, they have come out and said he won't play in the final game away at Bournemouth, so he will be even more up for this and hitting the 200 goals mark (he is on 199 for Leicester)

[shabba]

It's also a 3 Million pound game.

I think its £2,2m per place, but yeah this is a good point, every extra helps for sure when planning for life in the championship, I can't see us having a big transfer budget so another couple of mil would be good.

[hallamblue]

It's a must win game to ensure we stay where we currently are.

Leicester win it is then, because we never turn up to the must win games!

[arana peligrosa]

Didn't bother to vote, all right it may mean some extra money to whoever gets 18th place but it won't be in mine or your pocket and the bonuses appear to be minimal on the grand scale of things. All you can ascertain it's a battle over two poor ineffective club names this season to avert finishing second from last. This ain't no title decider.

All focus there will be on the Vardy kid anyhow. He's done good for them, without his contribution they probably wouldn't have won the EPL title or got those promotions from lower league but from our perspective all we need do is go there with the right attitude and belief and the rest should take care of itself. Vardy or not Leicester are garbage and it's coming to something when you can openly say we've been better than them this season.

The irony here being we were better than them last season at Championship level and they got 1st place and us 2nd, and now they're looking to finish above us again in a position they don't deserve albeit in a different league. This sport sure has a warped sense of humor or ideology to it.

[Charnwood]

We have visitors staying next week and I’ll be in a house with 4 Leicester girls so please please don’t lose this one as I’ll never hear the last of it. I also have a small wager with my nephew which is less of an issue than the verbal crap I’ll take if Leicester win.
Whilst I’d prefer we win this even by the narrowest of margins, if we can’t I’ll happily settle for a draw.

[Bluemike]

Hirst starting as i alluded to in the preview

[Charnwood]

Can’t believe Leifs shot didn’t go in off the post. Great start from the Tractor Boys.

[Bluemike]

McKenna's Ipswich, finding a way to lose as usual

[Bluemike]

Bloody embarrassing

[mugen1]

Not sure why I expected anything else really?!

[Bluemike]

Not seen many players worse than Jack Clarke in a Town shirt, absolutely f**king useless

[hallamblue]

Absolute bloody joke, yet again.
A must win game because it’s worth £3m to the club, and about not losing to another relegation team around us, and we can’t bloody do it.
We NEVER win these must win games, never.
Yet again, umpteen changes to the team. EVERY game he does this!
McKenna has been well and truly found out . He’s a one trick pony, tactically.


I actually hope Spurs do come in for him because I’ve had enough of this oh, so predictable shyte.

[mugen1]

No, no, no!

You must be wrong because he's the Messiah! After all he took us from League 1 to the PL!

What I don't understand is, the folk who spout this and deride those who think otherwise. Yet, it is acknowledged that
players may be good enough for League 1 or the Championship but not good enough for the PL. Surely exactly the same applies to a manager? Curious.

[hallamblue]

....don't think I've actually ever said anything about your posts in the past have I?

[mugen1]

I think you misunderstood. Some was tongue in cheek and none of it was aimed at you!
I'm in agreement with your post!

[hallamblue]

Have been thinking about your post mugen1, and realise that I did totally misunderstand it, sorry. The joys of written word with no voice intonation eh!

[mugen1]

All good!

Agreed, text doesn't always allow for the most effective of conversation!

[Charnwood]

That display really pissed me off today. So much more enjoyable watching Arsenal v Newcastle United. TBH the Women’s Cup Final would have been more enjoyable than watching our game. Sadly I’ll still watch us lose at home to West Ham next week.

[ITFC2024]

Clearly we need to off load and replace a few players. I really can’t wait until this dismal season is over. Some of us older fans have really experienced numerous ups & downs with this football team, and I think it’s time to reset…take a deep breath and look forward to another season.

[arana peligrosa]

Can't really look forward as you put it if it means another entire season of McKenna and his team set ups. Asked to lose the pink strips also but lo and behold we take to the field with the same ghastly design.

Leicester have been, and are, crap this season but they raised their game today, dominated play and took us to school. There can be no argument the best team won it. We looked devoid of ideas, short of imagination and all that it entails. They went out to win to celebrate their greatest player, which perhaps isn't really saying much, and they achieved it in some style. We were poor and didn't seem to try apart from one or two random opportunities.

Irony is if Leicester had played all season like they did here they'd be challenging for another EPL title instead of joining us in a drop back to lower league. There was no tardy Vardy party, the player took the chance to grab the opportunity to sign off in style against us. We were by and large mierda and not for the first time was less than impressed with both McKenna and the team as a whole. Awful color choice, lousy performance. Far from a great occasion.

[The Odious Mr Rossi]

Oh dear, Kieron - lost again.
Never mind, I'm sure there will be plenty of other clubs clamouring for your services, given your wonderful record in 2025 of P18, W1, D4, L13 - Bognor Regis Town, Chelmsford City, Blyth Spartans, Taunton Town, Woodbridge, the possibilities are endless.

[shabba]

I was anxious about opening this thread as I knew it might be toxic. That defeat REALLY hurt, more than most this season for me.

I actually felt we played well, I watched it with someone who has had a lower level career of management/been in football a bit and he said we really weren't that bad, the better side etc. We had 20 shots, and IMO were the better side, but we just weren't clinical at all, didn't work their keeper and then they hit us with 2 decent goals.

Usually I'm Ok but this one really bothered me, I'm glad we actually turned up and played OK, but the result was a tough one to take for sure.

I just want the season to end now Feel quite low about things right now, and I'm a v positive guy normally.

[Bluemike]

This is the thing, we always find a way to lose games, even when we should get something, its a recurring theme, this time it's against a fellow championship team who have been utter dross themselves and who have a woeful manager, doesn't auger well at all.

[Shed on tour]

Yet again another p*ss poor performance. At times I was virtually falling asleep in the sun watching our sidewards and backwards football. As for some of our fans applauding Vardy when he scored, well it is probably better I keep my thoughts to myself.

[hallamblue]

Lol, I'm taking a beating on twtd for daring yo challenge McKenna's approach and why hadn't he attempted to change anything. I will fess up to calling him a one trick pony, tactically. Can't see what's wrong with that observation myself.

[Shed on tour]

Oh dear, Kieron - lost again.
Never mind, I'm sure there will be plenty of other clubs clamouring for your services, given your wonderful record in 2025 of P18, W1, D4, L13 - Bognor Regis Town, Chelmsford City, Blyth Spartans, Taunton Town, Woodbridge, the possibilities are endless.

Yep, a grand total of 7 points accumulated out of a possible 54. Only Southampton have managed to get less points (6) and they have even beaten us in 2025.