Leicester City face off with Ipswich Town in a Premier League clash at 3pm on Saturday, November 2nd.
It has been a mixed start to the 2024/25 season for the Foxes, who are in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle.
Leicester City lost 3-1 vs Nottingham Forest in their previous Premier League fixture and were beaten handily by Manchester United in the Carabao Cup earlier this week.
The Man Utd defeat has cast doubt on Steve Cooper’s future, with Leicester’s next outing now very much a must-win.
The Midlands outfit go into the game sat 15th in the Premier League table but still only five points above the relegation zone.
As for Ipswich, they are really struggling after their return to the top flight and are still yet to pick up a league win this term.
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Paul Merson makes Ipswich Town vs Leicester City prediction
The Tractor Boys go into the weekend 18th in the division having drawn four and lost five of their opening nine games.
A win against Leicester could move them out of the bottom three, however, and to within two points of the Foxes.
Now, Paul Merson has made his prediction for the Ipswich vs Leicester clash via Sportskeeda and explained what ‘worries’ him.
He said: “Ipswich Town were 2-0 up against Brentford last weekend, but went 3-2 down, before making it 3-3 with four minutes left to play, and still ended up losing!
“It worries me when I think when teams like Ipswich and Southampton are actually going to win their first game. If Ipswich lose this game, they go eight points behind Leicester and that would be 10 games without a win.
“That’s a mountain to climb! This is a cup final for Ipswich. And I have a feeling they’ll win this game. Leicester also lost last weekend against Nottingham Forest and that would’ve dented their confidence.
“Forest are the prime example of how teams can improve if they avoid getting relegated. If you do that, the gulf between clubs in the Championship and you gets bigger. You look at Crystal Palace and they’ve just had two important wins, they’re not getting relegated now.
“Everton have been there before and survived. The next team after Leicester on the table is Manchester United, they won’t get relegated for sure. So this is a game both Ipswich and Leicester cannot afford to lose if they want to survive.”
Merson predicts a 2-1 win for Ipswich vs Leicester.
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Will Leicester City sack Steve Cooper after Ipswich Town
Following their battering at the hands of Manchester United on Wednesday, Leicester fans called for Cooper to be sacked.
The 46-year-old has not exactly endeared himself to the Leicester faithful since arriving over the summer.
The recently promoted side have been woeful defensively and could end up being firmly sucked into a relegation battle.
As a result, defeat to a winless Ipswich, as Merson predicts, would no doubt put a lot of pressure on Cooper.
But it remains to be seen if it would be enough for the Leicester hierarchy to part ways with him this month.