Boss Kieran McKenna says the term ‘must-win’ doesn’t really mean anything ahead of the still winless Blues’ game against fellow promoted side Leicester City at Portman Road.

Town go into the match having dropped into the relegation zone following Crystal Palace’s 1-0 home victory over Tottenham last Sunday having been beaten 4-3 at Brentford the day before.

Leicester, who were defeated 5-2 at Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, are currently 15th in the Premier League, three places and five points above the Blues.

They have won twice, back-to-back victories at home to AFC Bournemouth, 1-0, and at Southampton, 3-2 having come from 2-0 down and scoring in the final minute, before a 3-1 home loss to local rivals Nottingham Forest a week ago.

On their travels, the Foxes have drawn one - 2-2 at Crystal Palace - and lost two - 2-1 at Fulham and 4-2 at Arsenal - in addition to the win against the Cherries.

McKenna believes there were plenty of positives to be taken from his side’s display at Brentford last Saturday, despite ultimately falling to a 96th-minute defeat.

“I think there clearly were,” he said. “Any time you go away from home and score three goals in the Premier League, you've done a lot of things well.

“Of course, to concede four goals is very disappointing but even from a defensive point of view, for 44 minutes we limited one of the top teams in the league for creating chances at home to almost nothing. So there were also defensive bits of our game that were very good. 

“From a mentality point of view, we had challenges coming into the game, injuries and late dropouts, so to perform how we did was a big positive.

“To show the resilience that we did with 10 men was a big positive, even at 4-3 to get kick-off and go and chase the ball down and still find a way to hit the post in the 98th minute. So I think there were a lot of positives.

“You're extremely disappointed to lose a game in that manner, but I think the players actually came out of it with their confidence enhanced and we'll try and take the good things into this weekend.”

He says his squad responded well in training this week: “Settled weeks with the group haven't been in abundance with the nature of the season so far, so we've had a good week here.

“Of course, there was disappointment after the way that the game finished at Brentford, but I think, as a group, they've shown time and again they tend to respond to these things pretty well. 

“There were more things in the performance to be positive about than to be negative about. More things in the group culture to be positive about than negative about.

“Of course, getting a big blow late in the game, you have to bring positive energy and everyone has certainly done that. We've been through these sorts of things before and the group has always responded in a positive way in terms of mindset. And that's certainly what I've seen this week.”

Inevitably, with two teams in the division’s lower reaches facing one another, there have been suggestions that Saturday’s game is a must-win fixture, but McKenna’s not sure that that term has much meaning at this stage of the campaign.

“We know every game is important,” he continued. “Of course, the term ‘must-win’ gets used, but it doesn't really mean anything because if we don't win on Saturday, then we're going to try our very best to win against Tottenham.

“There are a lot of games left in the season, so we'll try our absolute best to perform and perform as well as we can. I think that's always key when you're in games that are built up a little bit more because you're playing a team in close proximity to you in the league.

“Of course, with us and Leicester last year, it was a different position in the league, it was a different context in terms of probably everyone expecting them to be at the top end of the division, and not many people probably expected us to be.

“This is a different context, both teams at the bottom end of the division, but that's natural for where we're coming from. And it's another game to look forward to. We have to embrace these games, we fought so hard to get to the league.

“We were always going to have games against other teams in the bottom end of the division that were going to be built up, but the key is to try and keep the tension out of the performance. Perform as well as we can and fight with everything we've got for the points. And that's all we can do. And that's what we're going to try and do.”

Despite dismissing the ‘must-win’ claims, McKenna knows it’s a very significant fixture.

“There's no doubt it's a crucial match,” he said. “Every home game is crucial. Of course we're playing against the team who, although in a different context than us, came up from the Championship last year.

“So nature determines that we're probably two teams unlikely to finish in the very, very top end of the division, but more so it's a home game for us and every home game we see as an opportunity to go and get points. Every home game we see is an opportunity to go and win.

“It's only our fifth home game. They haven't been too frequent at this stage of the season, so it's one to look forward to, one to try and embrace, and one that we believe if we perform to our absolute capability, then we've got a great chance to get points. 

“But we also know we're playing against a good Leicester side. They've been scoring goals in all their away games. They've scored in the Carabao Cup in midweek. They've been to Arsenal and scored. They've been to Crystal Palace and scored two goals. They've scored in all the games this season and they've scored in good abundance in their away games as well. 

“So we know they can be a threat. We know what their qualities are. We know them well individually from last season and I'm sure they'll see it as an opportunity to pick up points as well. So it's going to be a good battle and we're looking forward to it.”

Although the sides came up together last season, the Foxes have much more Premier League experience in their ranks having only been out of the top flight for one season.

“And in Europe as a club,” the Blues boss added. “Three seasons ago they were in European competition.

“I think their story is their story, I think it was obviously a big surprise for them to get relegated in the first place from where they'd been in previous seasons. They had one season in the Championship and now they're back where they've been for the previous decade, or however many years it was. 

“So, we know that, we've spoken about it before. We're in a league of one in some aspects this season, when you look at Southampton's last decade as well.

“But that is what it is. We go out on the pitch every weekend with the best team we can put out, with the best preparation possible and try and show our identity, our style and our spirit, and fight for the points.”

A fortnight ago at home, the Blues put in their poorest home display for some time as they were beaten 2-0 by Everton with the atmosphere similarly uncharacteristically flat.

“Fulham and Aston Villa were littered with positives really in terms of performance,” McKenna recalled.

“Atmosphere as good as anywhere where you're going to see in the Premier League this season, not many better atmospheres in the world. Really good performances that got us a couple of points and on another day we could have had more.

“But yes, the Everton game was probably, well, definitely, I think, our worst performance at home. Probably the first time there's really been tension, feeling on the pitch, tension in the stands. And that's natural. It's natural when you're waiting for your first win. It's natural when you make some mistakes in a game and it's natural when things go against you, like the VAR decision.

“And it's up to us all to try and keep that out of the stadium tomorrow. Of course, some tension is natural. You're going to be involved with it whatever side of the table you're on. We've been involved in lots of big games, lots of games against competitors and what we've always managed to do well, for the most part, is keep the tension out of the game and try and enjoy where we are. 

“And again, we could be as a club, as staff, as players, as supporters, we could be in a much less significant division playing less significant games, but we are in the best league in the world, we’re playing against another good side and every game is one to enjoy.

“So it's on us first of all to deliver a performance and an energy and a commitment that the supporters will get behind because we know when we manage to do that, they'll always be with us.

“But for the supporters and for the whole club, it's to embrace these games, to try and keep tension out of the mindset and to go for it in the way that we do best. And we know that that gives us the best chance of getting the points.”

Since the teams met last season on the way to promotion and drew 1-1 twice, Leicester have seen Enzo Maresca move on to Chelsea with Steve Cooper taking over at the King Power Stadium.

McKenna, whose side trained on the Portman Road pitch on Thursday as they were having team photos taken, says some aspects of the team are much the same while former Nottingham Forest boss Cooper has also added his own stamp.

“I think a lot of the style has been kept,” he reflected. “Both teams have got some new players, they're the most important thing [that's changed] and they'll bring a different dynamic to the teams.

“Both teams have got some injury doubts, so they probably don't know our team and we won't know their team.

“I think both teams have been fairly consistent in their style over the last couple of seasons, so I don't think there's going to be any dramatic surprises either way.

“And it's up to us to go and execute our details better, to go and find a way to turn the margins that are going to decide the game in our favour. And that's the challenge tomorrow.”


Asked what he expects from a Cooper side, he added:“I think most of the attacking stuff is trying to build on the work that they've done last year.

“They've built through the goalkeeper really, really well, they've built through the double pivot really, really well, they've got different ways to rotate into a 3-2-5 when they've got the ball, they've done it in different ways over the course of the season.

“And most of their patterns and key movements and positional traits and ways that they attack the box are very, very similar to what they did last year. So I think there are more similarities. 

“Defensively, I've known Steve for a good amount of time, they’re more zonal this year, Leicester last year with Enzo were a little bit more man-to-man orientated. This year, they're more zonal and a little bit more compact in the block. Every defensive strategy has its benefits, every defensive strategy opens up certain opportunities. 

“But they're still a good side, lots of experienced Premier League players, added more good players in the summer, added a good manager, and they'll be coming here looking to get something from the game and perform well.

“And we're looking to make sure that our performance is its highest level it can possibly be and get something from the game for ourselves.”

Quizzed on how he personally remains positive, despite the challenges of the Premier League, McKenna said: “I don't think it's too difficult. Of course, you always want to have more points. We'd love to have won a couple of games by now, but I know the margins are really, really small.

“Leicester have two wins, have come back against 10 men at Southampton, 2-0 down away from home and a really tight one against Bournemouth that certainly could have gone either way, and that's the margin. 

“There's no surprises. I knew when I decided to take the challenge on this season and follow through the project into the Premier League that it was going to be a challenging season. Each game was going to be a big challenge.

“Externally, we'd be seen as an underdog in pretty much all of our games, but internally we believe that we can perform well and we can compete with almost every team in the division on any given day.

“So it's what we were prepared for. It's what we knew in the summer, the challenge that it was going to be.

“We've had some extra challenges on top of that through the summer, through the transfer window, through at the moment more injuries and illnesses than we would like and a suspension this weekend as well, but we knew it was going to be a season, a great challenge, we were well prepared for it, and we're trying to deal with it head on.”

The Team

Although questions have been asked about Aro Muric’s role in Brentford’s fourth goal last week, McKenna has backed the Kosovo international and seems likely to stick with him against the Foxes.

Ben Johnson, who returned to training today after a thigh problem, seems likely to return at right-back if he is considered fit enough with Axel Tuanzebe still out with his hand injury and Harry Clarke suspended following his red card at Brentford. If not, then either Luke Woolfenden or Dara O’Shea will switch to that role.

O’Shea would otherwise continue at the heart of the defence, despite being hampered by a back problem, alongside Cameron Burgess, making his 100th Blues start.

Leif Davis, who will be making his 100th Town appearance, will be in his usual left-back role.

Skipper Sam Morsy could return to the squad after his hamstring problem having trained today but McKenna may opt to leave the Egyptian international on the bench and continue with the Kalvin Phillips-Jens Cajuste partnership which did well against the Bees. Morsy would almost certainly get some minutes from the bench in the second half.

Omari Hutchinson looks set to return as the number 10 having missed last week’s match as he was ill with Wes Burns probably on the right with Chiedozie Ogbene out for all or most of the season having undergone achilles surgery.

McKenna has options on the left but Sammie Szmodics may get the nod ahead of Jack Clarke and Nathan Broadhead - still to appear for the Blues this season - on the left having scored his second Town goal of the campaign at Brentford.

Up front, McKenna will have to decide between George Hirst and Liam Delap, both of whom scored against the Bees, the latter taking his total for the season to five, matching the total that saw Claus Thomsen top Town’s goalscoring charts in 1994/95 in the Premier League.

Opposition

Leicester boss Cooper has played down the importance of the game in the grand scheme of the season overall.

“I think they are all significant because whoever you play, you get that win and it can make such a difference, as we’ve seen with the two wins we’ve got already,” he said.

“I don’t think we should assume that anyone should be anywhere. It’s more about living in the moment, respecting who you’re playing against.

“You have to earn the right to make things happen against every opponent. When we’ve been at our best, it’s been about what we do in games.”

Leicester have conceded eight goals in their two games this week and Cooper knows his team will have to be tighter at the back.

“I won’t hide away from the goals we’ve conceded,” he added. “We need to focus on our concentration and be present in the moment. We’re in a ruthless environment where you do get punished.

“We need to get the balance right and to tip it our way so we’re scoring more than we’re conceding.

“First and foremost, it’s facing up to it. There’s always a topic to talk about where we can do better, and at the moment it’s giving opponents good opportunities to score against us.

“Concentration is such a key factor of what we’re talking about now. Let’s cut it out. If an opponent scores past us, let’s make sure they have to work really hard.”

Winger Abdul Fatawu missed the Red Devils game with a groin issue and seems unlikely to be involved against the Blues.

Midfielder Hamza Choudhury is making progress following a shoulder injury but the Town game will be too soon, while Jakub Stolarczyk is yet to feature this season due to a foot problem.

Left-back Victor Kristiansen has returned to training having suffered a groin problem and could be in the mix to face the Blues.

Striker Patson Daka is also back on the grass after ankle surgery but is a way off being involved on a matchday. Midfielder Michael Golding is also back in training after a knock.

History

Town have just had the upper hand historically, winning 27 games between the sides (27 in the league), drawing 20 (19) and losing 26 (24).

The Blues are currently without a win in four against the Foxes with their most recent victory a success under Mick McCarthy in March 2013 in which David McGoldrick - a future Leicester target - scored his second goal for the club.

The teams last met at the King Power Stadium in January with both clubs on their way to automatic promotion from the Championship, the Midlanders ultimately pipping Town to the title.

Jeremy Sarmiento’s first goal for the Blues grabbed a deserved late point as Town returned to second in the Championship following a 1-1 draw.

The Blues had gone behind to a 31st-minute Davis own goal but improved after the break and on-loan Brighton forward Sarmiento followed up Massimo Luongo’s saved shot to claim the draw in the penultimate minute.

The teams most recently faced one another at Portman Road on Boxing Day when skipper Morsy’s twice-deflected 93rd-minute strike saw the Blues grab another deserved point as the teams drew 1-1.

Stephy Mavididi gave the visitors a lead in the 24th minute, which was a fair reflection of the first half, but Town were the better side after the break and were well worth a share of the points, if not more.

Familiar Faces

Town striker Hirst signed from Leicester in the summer of 2023 for £1.5 million following his successful loan spell in the second half of the previous season.

Hirst made only two senior sub appearances for the Foxes having joined them from Belgian side OH Leuven in the summer of 2019.

Officials

Saturday’s referee is Tim Robinson from West Sussex, who has shown 40 yellow cards and no red in seven games so far this season.

His assistants will be Tim Wood and Steve Meredith, and the fourth official John Busby. The VAR official is Stuart Attwell and his assistant James Mainwaring.

Robinson - along with VAR official Attwell - was in charge of the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on the opening day when he booked Burns, Hutchinson, Woolfenden and one of the visitors.

Prior to that, the former PE teacher’s last Town match was the 2-1 home victory over Shrewsbury in November 2020 in which he cautioned only last-minute goalscorer Jack Lankester.

He was also in the middle for the away game at Sheffield United on the penultimate weekend of the 2018/19 season in which he yellow-carded Alan Judge and no one else as the Blades beat the Blues 2-0 to secure promotion.

Prior to that he was in the middle for the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at Portman Road in August 2019 in which he harshly red-carded loanee Tayo Edun on his Blues full league debut for two bookable offences as well as cautioning Janoi Donacien and two visitors.

Robinson also refereed the 1-0 home defeat to Norwich City in October 2017 in which he cautioned only Luke Chambers, Flynn Downes and Jordan Spence.

A month earlier Robinson officiated during the 5-2 thrashing of Sunderland in which he booked Tristan Nydam and three Wearsiders.

Before that he took charge of 2017/18’s 1-0 opening day victory over Birmingham City when he yellow-carded Spence and one visitor.

The season before that he officiated in the 3-1 home win against Newcastle United in which he cautioned McGoldrick, Tom Lawrence and one Magpie.

Robinson also refereed Town’s 1-0 success at Aston Villa in February 2017, in which he booked only Jonas Knudsen and Toumani Diagouraga, and the 1-0 victory over Preston at Portman Road in August 2016, in which he booked Cole Skuse and one visiting player.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 1-0 win at Derby on the final day of 2015/16 and yellow-carded skipper Chambers, Adam McDonnell and two Rams.

Before that, he took control of the 2-1 home victory over Reading in February 2016 in which he booked Christophe Berra and two visiting players.

Robinson’s only other competitive Town game was the 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough in December 2015 in which he again cautioned Berra and two visitors.

Squad From

Muric, Walton, Slicker, Davis, Townsend, O’Shea, Johnson, Woolfenden, Burgess, Phillips, Morsy (c), Cajuste, Luongo, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Szmodics, J Clarke, Broadhead, Burns, Delap, Hirst, Al-Hamadi.

Photo: Action Images

blueboy1981 added 19:28 - Nov 1 You may find it does mean something, if Wins are not soon forthcoming. If Relegation becomes a realistic outcome. it could change the whole direction and current structure of the Club completely, and knock us back another decade. Such does not bare thinking about or contemplating.
2

SickParrot added 19:45 - Nov 1 Chappers did enough good things against Brentford to keep his place and shouldn't be dropped. I don't understand why Kieran persists with Omari in the number 10 role, he's much more effective from the right hand side.
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ITFCSG added 19:45 - Nov 1 A quarter of the season gone - if the wins are not forthcoming we will very soon be cast adrift at the bottom of the table! Gap is already opening up!
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bluebullet29l added 20:27 - Nov 1 KM.....its a must win...you know it...we all know it. Don't start these mind games please.
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Taricco_Fan added 00:41 - Nov 2 I know McKenna's got to take the pressure off his players but this is very much a 'must win' game, there's no two ways about it. A quarter of the season is gone, we've got only 4 points and few home fixtures will be more winnable (on paper) than this one. Anything less than 3 points won't cut it given the opponents to follow.
6

elthamblue added 06:35 - Nov 2 Tend to read rather than write comments, as it’s interesting to assess the general feeling amongst fellow fans. Saying that, I’m finding the increase in negativity to be unhelpful and unjustified. What do people expect Kieran to say? - “This is a must win game and if we don’t win, we’re likely to be relegated.” It was always going to be a tough season, with relegation likely, but I personally believe things are being managed well, and are consistent with the approach that got us to this position in the first place. The worst thing we can do as fans is create the mentioned ‘tension’ and make Saturdays even harder for the players. So, in short, trust the process and try not to forget where we were two seasons ago. Also, in terms of definition, it’s not a must win game as if we don’t win, we can still stay up, given the amount of games there are left to play. Just trying to instil a mixture a positivity and realism!

7

SpiritOfJohn added 06:49 - Nov 2 https://thesmarterthinkingproject.com/must-win-matches/
0

BlueRuin69 added 08:54 - Nov 2 McKennas making mistakes and is miles away from Ramsey, Robson and Burley atm. One of these mistakes is Muric who hesitates in everything he does. Too many changes as McKenna desperate to bring in new signings. I do think Kieran will learn and improve but poor start to season. Must win game today imo. COYB
3

Blue_Heath added 09:47 - Nov 2 Perhaps BlueRuin69 but given what he has achieved thus far he's earned the right to make them. This season was always going to be a huge learning curve. Unless we are losing 4/5 nil every game in a row he should be given the chance. Yes we have spent a lot of money and to get the likes of Delap and Phillips (yes he's been disappointing) is better than what we realistically hoped for. That said any win of any kind will do today, I don't care about the performance we just need to somehow get the three points.

2

wedgieblue added 10:37 - Nov 2 People should remember where we were just two years ago. This season is an added bonus – I don’t think the club even expected to secure promotion last year. The initial goal was to build a stable foundation and take on the Premier League challenge over a couple of years. Building that base so quickly was always going to be a massive challenge. Typically, we’d have made this number of signings across multiple transfer windows to ensure everything fit together smoothly. It’s going to take time, and injuries haven’t helped. Some might argue we don’t have time, but we do. To stay up, we need around 30 points (not the often-cited 40 – just look at the last five seasons), and that’s within reach for KM and this squad. Once we gain momentum, we’ll be fine.

1

Paulc added 11:05 - Nov 2 Anyone using the term 'must win' for the 10th game of a 38 game season needs to stop watching football. Yes, if we lose that makes survival a little harder but what if we lost v Leicester do we give up for the rest of the season? Must win is only applicable once the remining games HAVE to be one in order to achieve the goal, in our case survival.
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TimmyH added 13:47 - Nov 2 Paulc - but it is psychologically damaging if we can't beat the sides we were promoted with, where will the wins come from?...defence is the most worrying aspect.
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dirtydingusmagee added 14:29 - Nov 2 I'm sorry it IS.a must win game we can't afford to become separated at bottom that would take a run of wins to close and those above to fall, take a look at fixtures ,a run of wins is very unlikely let's not kid ourselves .
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