Joey Barton and his side welcome Leicester City’s U21s to Highbury on Tuesday evening ahead of the first Group D match in the Checkatrade Trophy.
The Cod Army won all three group stages last season with wins over the Foxes, Morecambe and Carlisle United, and will be looking to do the same this time around in the competition.
Leicester’s development squad have been picked up two wins in their last two matches, with the latest being a 2-0 victory over local rivals Derby County. Manager Steve Beaglehole will be looking for his young side to perform against first team opposition.
Town are on a good run of form and head coach Joey Barton has said he wants to keep the momentum going around the club, and that continues tonight at home under the floodlights. Barton mentioned after the 1-1 draw at Sunderland last weekend that he will be picking a strong side.
Joey Barton said…
“This competition is a chance for teams to play a cup final game at Wembley, which for us is more realistic than the Carabao Cup. On Tuesday we will go into the game strong, looking to progress in the competition.
“It’s important that we maintain and pick up that winning habit because it is a good one to have. We are on a good little run at the moment and for us, it is important we keep that going.
“We will pick a strong side at every opportunity available, and that happened at Leicester in the Carabao Cup, as I felt the lads could go out there and deliver.
“However it wasn’t to be, and unfortunately on the night it didn’t happen for us and the lads ran into a really good side with plenty of experience.”
The form guide – Last five matches:
Fleetwood Town: W D W D D
Leicester City U21: W W L L W
The Foxes' Danger Man
Hamza Choudhury is a name that people may have known for a long time, however the young midfielder is only 20. The youngster began his career at the Leicester City academy, and enjoyed a loan spell at Burton Albion.
He made his Leicester City debut in September 2017 in the EFL Cup third round tie against Liverpool. He went on to make his Premier League debut two months later at the King Power Stadium in the win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Choudhury has featured in England’s U21s and made his debut as a substitute in the 2-1 win over China in the 2018 Toulon Tournament. He started the next match for the three lions against Mexico.
Choudhury is now looking to push into the Leicester City first team, and with strong performances for their development squad, cementing that position won’t be too far around the corner.
Betting Preview
Barton’s side are favourite to win the first group match at 4/9, with Leicester at 9/2.
A draw between the two sides, is currently at odds of 3/1. This would result in the match going to penalties for either side to earn an extra point in the league standings.
Town beat Leicester 3-0 in this fixture last year with Godswill Ekpolo, Baily Cargill and Wes Burns getting on the score sheet. For the same result on Tuesday, the odds are at 9/1.
You can find more odds for the match on SkyBet. Please bet and gamble responsibly.