Leicester City

Image source, Getty Images

Wrexham midfielder Matty James said Leicester City are a club "close to my heart" but insists he is determined to secure three points against his former side in the Championship on Tuesday evening.

James, who has signed a new contract to remain at Wrexham until the summer of 2027, spent nine years with the Foxes and made 117 appearances for the East Midlands club.

He was with Leicester when they won the Premier League in 2016 but missed the whole campaign due to injury.

"It's a club that I hold close to my heart and having had the reception that I got at the away game, it's always nice to play against them," James said.

"But certainly for us, we're looking to try and get them three points on the night."

Both Wrexham and Leicester will be looking to bounce back after defeats on Saturday - Wrexham lost 2-1 at home to Norwich City while Leicester were beaten by league leaders Coventry City.

Relegated from the Premier League last season, Leicester have had an inconsistent season on the pitch while also experiencing off the field financial issues.

Martí Cifuentes' side are currently 13th in the Championship table – three points behind 10th placed Wrexham and six points off the play-off spots.

"I think they'll probably be expecting more from themselves," James added.

"I think there's things going on, and off the pitch at the moment, which is not nice to see."

James believes Leicester have what it takes to climb up the table and will pose a strong challenge for his current side.

"I think for us, we just focus on ourselves and make sure that we're prepared for the game. They've got good players and we have to respect that," he said.

"Hopefully, we can go out there and put on a great performance and get three points.

"The Championship's ticking fast, the games come round quickly. It's a good opportunity for us at home on Tuesday night."

Image source, Opta

Leicester City will seek to end a winless midweek streak dating back to 2024 as they head to Wrexham on Tuesday (20:00 GMT).

The Foxes allowed an early lead to slip to a 2-1 defeat at Championship leaders Coventry on Saturday. City's third straight league defeat on the road left them 13th but only six points adrift of the play-off places.

The Red Dragons are three places and three points better off, despite seeing a 10-match unbeaten home run ended by a 2-1 defeat to Norwich last time out.

• Wrexham remain winless in seven Football League games against Leicester City (D4 L3), scoring just two goals in those meetings.

• Leicester last visited Wrexham in league competition in April 1982, drawing 0-0. They have never conceded a goal on three previous trips.

• Leicester City have only lost one of their past 13 Championship games against newly-promoted opponents (W7 D5), going down 0-1 at Plymouth in April 2024.

• Wrexham have only lost one of their past seven midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W3 D3), going down 0-2 to Hull in December.

• Leicester City are winless in their past 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (D3 L7) since a 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham in December 2024.

Marti Cifuentes was left frustrated by his Leicester City side's slow start to their second half as they were turned over 2-1 by local rivals and Championship leaders Coventry City.

Jordan James struck for the Foxes within the first 10 minutes of their derby at the CBS Arena, but Coventry replied through an Ellis Simms effort - just 90 seconds after the restart - and then the Sky Blues claimed all three points through Haji Wright with just five minutes to spare.

After victories over West Bromwich Albion and Cheltenham Town in league and cup more recently, Cifuentes was hopeful of building on that positive form - but he considers the timing of Coventry's equaliser to be unacceptable.

He told BBC Radio Leicester: "It's a tough one, because it's a derby. It was an opportunity, as well, to have a good moment after our last two results, to reconnect with our fans, so it's a tough one.

"We knew the first half was very good, it was at the tempo we want the team to play. There was good communication, there was good controlling of the game, creating chances but perhaps we needed to be more clinical.

"The game was there for the taking, but we spoke at half time that Coventry are playing at home, chasing the game and would try to push.

"We knew there'd be moments we have to cope with, but what we cannot accept is the way we conceded after just seconds after restarting."

Watch as Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes, defender Caleb Okoli, and BBC Radio Leicester's Owynn Palmer-Atkin, look ahead to Saturday's M69 derby against Coventry City.

Italian Okoli says it would be a "big achievement" to overcome the Championship leaders at the CBS Arena.

Leicester are 11 places and 15 points adrift of Frank Lampard's high-flying Sky Blues, but Cifuentes insists that his Foxes make the short trip to Coventry intent on "taking all three points".

"To get the number of points they got a the beginning of the season is amazing and credit to them, but at the same time it's very difficult to keep the rhythm for 46 games," Cifuentes told BBC East Midlands Today.

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield United striker Patrick Bamford has won the English Football League's player of the month award for December.

Bamford scored four goals across the Blades' six Championship games in December, including a double in their thrilling 5-3 defeat against Wrexham.

"I'm really happy. I'm surprised, I guess, a little bit because I wasn't ever thinking about any individual awards and that was the least of my priorities when coming in, but I think it's testament to the group and the staff and the players," Bamford said., external

"I know it's an individual award, but obviously, as a striker, you can't do it without your team-mates, so I owe a lot to them for that."

He beat Norwich forward Jovon Makama, Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and Leicester midfielder Bobby De Cordova-Reid for the award.

Image source, Getty Images

Defender Jannik Vestergaard and midfielder Boubakary Soumare will be available for Leicester's match at Championship leaders Coventry on Saturday lunchtime, according to head coach Marti Cifuentes.

Vestergaard went off injured during last weekend's FA Cup third round win at Cheltenham while Soumare has been out since the end of November with a knee injury.

"He [Vestergaard] just twisted and rolled his ankle but he's good, training with the team and ready for Saturday," Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester.

"Bouba [Soumare] has been training with the group, doing well, recovering from his injury and will be available as well."

Leicester have won two of their past three league games but are still without the long-term injured trio of Victor Kristiansen, Harry Souttar and Aaron Ramsey.

Coventry head into Saturday's game (12:30 GMT) looking to avoid going three games without a league win for the third time this season.

Leicester are aiming for back-to-back league victories, also for the third time this season as the look to climb back into the Championship's top 10.

• Coventry have won just one of their past nine league games against Leicester (D5 L3). That sole victory came in this exact fixture in the 2023-24 season (3-1).

• Leicester have won just one of their past eight away league games against Coventry (D5 L2), winning 1-0 on the opening day of the 2011-12 season.

• Coventry have won just two of their past eight Championship matches (D3 L3) and since the start of December they have won the joint 15th most points (9) and only four teams have scored fewer goals than the Sky Blues (7).

• Leicester have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past 20 Championship matches, the longest ongoing run of any side. It is their worst run outside the top flight since going 27 without a shutout between September 1948 and April 1949.

• Coventry's Matt Grimes has created the most chances in the Championship this season (57), with 36 of those from set plays which is 14 more than any other player. He also ranks second, behind Stoke's Sorba Thomas, for passes played into the opposition penalty area (228).

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield United striker Patrick Bamford and Norwich forward Jovon Makama have been nominated for the Championship's player of the month award for December along with Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and Leicester midfielder Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Bamford signed an 18-month contract with Sheffield United earlier this month having initially joined on a short-term deal in November.

The 32-year-old has scored six goals in 11 appearances for the Blades, including four in December.

Norwich's Makama is the Canaries' leading scorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions.

He scored twice in a victory over Southampton last month, once in a draw at Preston and the winner against Charlton - those goals worth a valuable seven points to a relegation-threatened Norwich side.

Iversen has kept eight clean sheets for Preston so far this season and vital saves against the leaders Coventry and Stoke in December helped the Lilywhites into fourth place.

With four goals in six games, meanwhile, De Cordova-Reid had a prolific December for Leicester as he scored in three successive matches.

The winner will be announced on Friday, 16 January.

Monaco are interested in signing Leicester defender Wout Faes. The 27-year-old Belgium centre-back joined the Foxes from the French top flight in 2022. (FootMercato, external)

The Foxes are set to compete with Ipswich and Charlton for Birmingham's Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes, 30. (Daily Mail, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2025-26 FA Cup fourth-round draw will take place on Monday, 12 January at approximately 18:35 GMT.

Proceedings will take place before kick-off in the third-round tie between Liverpool and Barnsley at Anfield.

Former England internationals Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will conduct the draw that will consist of 32 teams live on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 14 February.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Non-league Macclesfield are the lowest-ranked team in the draw after beating holders Crystal Palace in a remarkable 2-1 victory.

What are the ball numbers?

• 1. Wolverhampton Wanderers

• 2. Southampton

• 3. Aston Villa

• 4. Port Vale

• 5. Wigan Athletic

• 6. Ipswich Town

• 7. Wrexham

• 8. Chelsea

• 9. Manchester City

• 10. West Ham United

• 11. Brentford

• 12. Fulham

• 13. Sunderland

• 14. Liverpool or Barnsley

• 15. Burnley

• 16. Norwich City

• 17. Arsenal

• 18. Leeds United

• 19. West Bromwich Albion

• 20. Salford City or Swindon Town

• 21. Burton Albion

• 22. Grimsby Town

• 23. Hull City

• 24. Newcastle United

• 25. Oxford United

• 26. Leicester City

• 27. Birmingham City

• 28. Bristol City

• 29. Stoke City

• 30. Macclesfield

• 31. Brighton & Hove Albion

• 32. Mansfield Town

Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wrexham 3-3 (4-3 pens) Nottingham Forest

• Preston North End 0-1 Wigan

• Macclesfield Town 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Everton 1-1 (0-3 pens) Sunderland

• Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury Town

• Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough

• Manchester City 10-1 Exeter City

• Newcastle 3-3 (7-6 pens) Bournemouth

• Stoke City 1-0 Coventry City

• Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Bristol City 5-1 Watford

• Cambridge United 2-3 Birmingham City

• Charlton 1-5 Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes spoke to BBC Radio Leicester after Saturday's 2-0 win at Cheltenham Town in the third round of the FA Cup.

"It was a professional performance. We came here with the target of going through and we managed to do it," he said.

"Credit to Cheltenham because they managed to make it not easy for us. It was important for us to make it back-to-back wins and to go through and keep a clean sheet. They are some positives for us to build on.

"I'm pleased with the guys because we made some changes with players that have been training well and who deserved a opportunity. For them to show up today was important and all of them did a good job.

"The FA Cup is a beautiful competition, a competition that Leicester has a big history in but we would like to go as far as we can this season."

There are 18 third-round ties in the FA Cup on Saturday - 16 involving Premier League and Championship teams, who all enter the competition at this stage - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Cheltenham v Leicester (12:15) - BBC Radio Leicester

• Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Manchester

• Wolves v Shrewsbury (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio WM

• Boreham Wood v Burton Albion

• Burnley v Millwall - BBC Radio London

• Doncaster v Southampton - BBC Radio Solent

• Fulham v Middlesbrough - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Blackpool - BBC Radio Suffolk

• Man City v Exeter City - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Bournemouth - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Salford P-P Swindon

• Sheff Wed v Brentford

• Stoke v Coventry - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke & BBC Radio CWR

• Bristol City v Watford (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Three Counties Radio

• Cambridge United v Birmingham (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Grimsby v Weston (17:45)

• Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

• Charlton v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Middlesbrough" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Aston Villa", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Defender Ben Nelson says Leicester City "need the backing" of supporters as the Foxes continue to strive for promotion to the Premier League.

Some fans chose to boycott Monday's Championship game at King Power Stadium against West Bromwich Albion.

A 94th-minute volley from Abdul Fatawu earned Leicester a 2-1 victory against a Baggies side that dominated for long spells, lifting the Foxes to within six places and four points of the play-off spots.

When asked about the subdued atmosphere at the ground, 21-year-old Nelson told BBC East Midlands Today's Charlie Slater that he felt "kind of the opposite".

"I feel in the second half they really got behind us," Nelson said.

"We feel it as players, we feel like how they [fans] must feel and we have sympathy for that, but we need their backing to keep going to push you over the line."

Nelson is a lifelong Leicester fan, former Foxes ball boy and a player that has come through the club's academy.

He insists the Championship remains "wide open" this season and that Leicester's chances of making an immediate Premier League return should not be written off.

"We are really confident that we can push on now," he said.

"If we build a run, we know we can climb the table quickly."

Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes wants to sign a striker and a No10 in the transfer window to boost his attacking options. (Leicester Mercury, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.