Leicester V Cardiff at The King Power Stadium : Match Preview

21 December 2012 12:31
Leicester V Cardiff - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Hudson hands Bluebirds a boost

Martyn Waghorn is expected to return to the Leicester squad for the visit of Championship leaders Cardiff - just 10 days after an operation to remove his appendix.

Waghorn played through the pain barrier against Barnsley a fortnight ago and was sent for surgery shortly after the 2-2 home draw against the Tykes.

The striker missed last weekend's defeat at Millwall but has resumed full training to put himself back in contention to face the table-topping Bluebirds.

Defenders Sean St Ledger and Michael Keane remain out with hamstring injuries, with St Ledger currently in Germany seeing a specialist about the problem that has kept him out for two-and-a-half months.

Ahead of Saturday's game, Leicester boss Nigel Pearson told the media: "After last week's defeat, it's important to bounce back. We have two games coming up against teams above us and it's important we take points from both games.

"They (Cardiff) are a side that has done exceptionally well this season, but it will be a tough game for both sides.

"They're similar to us in many ways and we've got to make sure our performance warrants us getting the three points."

Cardiff captain Mark Hudson is set to return to their starting line-up after missing the shock defeat to Peterborough.

The 30-year-old centre-back has served his one-match ban for his fifth yellow card of the season and looks likely to partner Ben Turner at the heart of the Bluebirds' defence.

That would leave Kevin McNaughton and Matt Connolly to battle it out for the right-back slot.

Manager Malky Mackay also has midfielders Jordon Mutch and Aron Gunnarsson pushing for recalls.

Former Watford attacker Tommy Smith is edging closer to a return to action with Mackay wary of rushing him back into action.

Meanwhile Nicky Maynard remains out for the rest of the campaign with his knee ligament injury while Kadeem Harris is almost fit after an ankle problem.

Source: PA