All three of Town's injury worries ahead of the game with Leicester at the Walker's Stadium on Boxing Day have come through training OK.

Chris Makin, Jim Magilton and Fabian Wilnis are all fit and likely to continue in Royle's starting XI.

As expected Mark Venus is still out with his knee problem while Finidi George, Martijn Reuser and Alun Armstrong are also missing. All three have been working with fitness coach Simon Thadani over the last week or so.

The only change to the squad which travelled to Portsmouth is the addition of Nabil Abidallah in place of Matt Richards. Abidallah will be hoping for his first league appearance since March 2001.

Town will have a light training session on Christmas Day before travelling to Leicester on Boxing Day itself.

Leicester could see Callum Davidson return while Micky Adams is without the suspended Frank Sinclair. Gerry Taggart is also a doubt.

Adams watched Town at Portsmouth and was impressed: "I am surprised that they are languishing. I watched them against Portsmouth on Saturday and I personally feel that they should have won the game and they will be disappointed that they didn't.

"Even though they are in the lower reaches of the league they are not a side playing without confidence. If we sit back and let Ipswich play then they are more than capable of turning us over.

"I don't feel that Ipswich are out of the promotion picture quite yet."

There will be a minute's silence before the game in memory of former Leicester player Arthur Rowley who has died at the age of 76. Rowley scored 251 goals for Leicester the 1950s.

Squad: Abidallah, Ambrose, D Bent, M Bent, Clapham, Couñago, Gaardsøe, Holland, Hreidarsson, Magilton, Makin, Marshall, T Miller, Naylor, Pullen, Wilnis and Wright.

Photo: Action Images

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