Notebook – Leicester vs Spurs

Our Premier League campaign continues this afternoon as we make the trip to Leicester City (kick-off 3pm UK).

Here’s all of the game’s key points of note…

1 - Dominant against Leicester

This is a fixture we have seemingly relished over recent years. Of our last 11 meetings with Leicester, we have taken all three points eight times. The period includes winning each of the last four.

2 - Last meeting

The most recent of those meetings came at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September as we put six past the Foxes. Despite falling behind within six minutes to a Youri Tielemans penalty, we responded quickly with Harry Kane nodding in from a corner. By 22 minutes we had turned the game on its head with Eric Dier bagging his second of the campaign, only for Leicester to level shortly before the break as James Maddison struck back on 41 minutes. In the second half though, we really took the game to the visitors and, ultimately, cruised to three points.

Rodrigo Bentancur restored our lead just two minutes after the restart before Heung-Min Son entered the fray on 59 minutes. Our South Korean star has endured a frustrating season so far but, against the Foxes, he was electric in his cameo, firing home a 13-minute hat-trick as we ultimately ran out 6-2 winners in N17

Highlights: Spurs 6-2 Leicester | 2022/23

3 - Strong at the King Power

With our aforementioned impressive recent record in this fixture, it is perhaps not a surprise that we also have a fairly good record when it comes to visiting the King Power Stadium. Of our last four visits, we have won three times, which includes each of the last two.

4 - Late, late, late drama on last visit

That recent run of wins at the King Power, of course, includes our unforgettable 3-2 win there just over a year ago. In a very topsy-turvy game against the Foxes, we twice fell behind – an accomplished Harry Kane finish on 38 minutes restoring parity from Patson Daka’s opener before James Maddison fired the visitors on 76 - however, a quite crazy stoppage-time period saw us, somehow, take home all three points.

With a minimum of five minutes added on, we scored our equaliser with just seconds remaining as Steven Bergwijn dispatched from close range. Then, just moments from kick-off, the Dutchman was released through on goal once more. With just Kasper Schmeichel to beat, the forward knocked the ball round the Danish stopper before firing in off the post to snatch all three points with the final kick of the game, sending the away end into utter delirium.

Highlights: Leicester 2-3 Spurs | 2021/22

5 - A game of goals

There are always goals when we take Leicester on in the Premier League. Since 2014, no fixture in the top flight has seen more goals than this one. In our last 17 meetings, there have been an incredible 71 goals – an average of almost 4.2 goals per game. It has been three years since a clean sheet was kept in this fixture and 75 years since a 0-0 draw.

6 - Clean sheets

In saying that, we have shown great resilience at the back in recent weeks. In our seven games played since the 4 January, we have kept five clean sheets, including one in each of our last three outings. It should also be noted that in just one of our eight matches so far in 2023 have both teams been on the scoresheet – that was also the last time that we conceded, our 4-2 defeat away to Manchester City on 19 January.

Highlights: Spurs 1-0 Manchester City | 2022/23

7 - Foxes’ form

Since their title winning season of 2015/16, Leicester have consistently battled for a place in the higher echelons of the Premier League however, this term, they have endured a fairly frustrating campaign. Having not picked up their first league win until the start of October, they then enjoyed a strong until the World Cup break with four wins in their next seven games. The tough times returned after the restart though with four defeats on the bounce before a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton and then a rather impressive 4-2 win at Aston Villa has lifted them three points clear of the relegation places.

8 - Kane’s Foxes record

With Hugo Lloris set for a period on the sidelines as he recovers from an injury picked up in our 1-0 win over Manchester City, vice-captain Harry Kane will be in line to take up the armband this afternoon – and Leicester is the side he seems to relish facing the most. A side he spent time at on loan in the 2012/13 season, he has scored more goals against Leicester than the number of times he has actually faced them with a remarkable 20 in 19 appearances against the Foxes. That includes one in each of his last four matches against them and 14 in his last 11.