Top scorer Conor Chaplin has dismissed the notion that tonight’s visit to runaway Championship leaders Leicester could be labelled as a free hit for him and his Town colleagues.
With the Foxes currently seven points clear and firm favourites to retain top spot in the table through to the season’s end, it has been suggested that the Blues would are locked in a race with Southampton and, to a lesser extent, Leeds United in pursuit of the second automatic promotion place.
The teams drew 1-1 at Portman Road last month and nine-goal Chaplin insisted: "I definitely wouldn’t say it’s a free hit. I don’t think we’d see any game like that.
"I’ll be honest, I think we prepare way too hard and way too articulately to look at games as free hits. We fancy our chances against any team in this division.
"I think we’ve shown that on any certain day we can be a match for anyone in this league and I felt that was the case on Boxing Day. I felt like we matched them, if not we probably deserved the points ever so fractionally over them on that day.
"But, look, they’re the best team in the division without a doubt. They’ve got a great squad, Premier League experience, Premier League players, definitely, that would be looking to get back there, but it’s a place that we’re looking to go to and get a positive result.”
It was skipper Sam Morsy who earned Town a point in the home fixture when he equalised deep into stoppage time, and although he will be absent at the King Power Stadium this evening as he completes a two-game suspension, Chaplin revealed he will still have a part to play.
Asked if Morsy had been involved in the preparations for tonight’s clash, Chaplin replied: "Yes, of course. Samy’s a big, big leader for us. He’ll be there regardless. Obviously, he’s suspended, but I’d imagine he will be with the team. He’s a big part of what we do, a big leader for us and, yes, he’ll be behind us nonetheless.”
This evening’s game is the latest in a long line of Town fixtures to be broadcast live and with 3,500 fans making the trip to Leicester in support of manager Kieran McKenna and the players, it has the makings of another epic encounter.
Chaplin was asked if it is the kind of game in which all players would want to be involved and he answered: "Yes, it is. I can’t wait for it. It’s going to be another good occasion, another good stadium, good atmosphere, against a quality team.
"It should be two teams that are in good form really going at each other, which is an exciting game for anyone to be a part of.”
The diminutive attacker, whose 111 league games for the club – 92 starts and a further 19 from the bench – have so far reaped 44 goals, reflected on his last one, a bullet header from a Leif Davis corner in the recent 2-1 home win over a Sunderland side still with hopes of clinching a play-off place.
He said: "It was an important goal, a very important goal, great delivery and a good header. I was happy with it and it was a good finish.”
But when quizzed about the phrase ‘Davis to Chaplin’ appearing regularly in match commentary and how much the pair worked on it in training, he replied: "It’s probably at the point now where there’s not really too much work, in all honesty.
"We know each other’s games really well now, we know what each other like, I know what sort of deliveries he likes and he knows what sort of places I like to finish, so probably just knowing each other and having a good relationship in terms of knowing each other’s game is a big part of it.
"It’s not so much work on the training ground now. It probably was, early days, but now it’s just understanding each other’s games.”
Davis has been a regular contributor of assists and Chaplin added: "I certainly expect them deliveries. He’s got a brilliant left foot, one of the best left foots I’ve played with.
"I’m so confident in him finding me and choosing the right sort of delivery when I’m in those positions. He’s really helped me and he’s one of the big reasons as to why I’ve scored a few goals – definitely a big, big reason.”
Victory over Sunderland in another game to be covered live by the Sky Sports cameras sparked incredible scenes of delight that put it up there with so many previous occasions at Portman Road when the players have delivered the hoped-for outcome on the big occasions over the last year or so.
Chaplin admitted: "Yes, it felt like a big win, definitely felt like a big win. It felt like a special night. The atmosphere definitely added to that; I thought the fans were brilliant and I thought they were brilliant all night. I think they are starting to understand definitely that we’re not going to be great all the time.
"I think it’s hard with the schedule and with the calibre of team we’re playing against, the calibre of players we’re playing against – we can’t play well all the time.
"It’s about finding a way to get results and I think they’ve really bought into that in the last couple, definitely, and they’ve pushed us over the line and helped us, definitely helped us, to get a winner the other night with the atmosphere they created. I thought it was brilliant. It was one of the most special nights I’ve had at Portman Road.”