Leicester City Is facing fresh challenge in late March what could be the cause

There are only a few weeks left in the Championship season, so the last few rounds of matches will undoubtedly be plenty of surprises.

The automatic promotion picture is one of those impacted, as the race for first and second place has been wide open as Leicester City have found themselves in their worst run of form all season, which has come at the worst possible time for Enzo Maresca’s side.

There was plenty of talk at the turn of the year that Leicester were on course to break Reading’s record points total of 106, having only lost once from November until March – in the M69 Derby against Coventry City – prior to Middlesbrough becoming the first of two sides to complete a double over the Foxes.

All season long, Leicester had been extremely consistent as they hadn’t gone more than three games without a win until that particular record was blown out of the water in a shock 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers.

The leaders were also comfortably the league’s strongest defence, and whilst goals have continued to flow for Maresca’s men throughout this rocky patch – they have conceded twice as many goals on average in the last five games as they have done across the season’s entirety so far (1.8 vs 0.9) – as well as only keeping three clean sheets in the league since the turn of the year.

This recent defensive wobble was epitomised by the normally reliable Wout Faes’ struggles in the 2-2 draw with Hull City, as the Belgian recorded the Foxes’ joint-lowest match rating of 5.9 along with Stephy Mavididi, having been at fault for Fabio Carvalho’s opening goal as well as conceding possession eight times.

Surprisingly, given this recent run of form, Leicester are still projected to break the record points total, as per FootyWebPages, with a tally of 107.

Hardly anybody could have pictured this scenario at the turn of the year, when there was a 17-point gap between Leicester and Leeds after 25 games played.

However, the form and relentless nature of Daniel Farke’s side since then mean that the Whites could be the first team to fully capitalise on Leicester’s recent league struggles, which has coincided with a better run in the FA Cup, as the Foxes travel to Chelsea on Sunday lunchtime.

The current leaders have been sitting at the top of the table ever since defeating Bristol City 1-0 at the King Power Stadium on September 23rd, before seeing gaps at the top of the table become extensive and, at present, the closest it’s been since that victory was recorded in the eighth game of the season.

Leeds shouldn’t need any added motivation ahead of a fierce clash between themselves and Millwall on Sunday afternoon, but this is where Farke’s electric attack can see the fruits of their labour really come to the fore, as a victory of two or more goals will see them top the Championship all season, which would be a huge psychological boost ahead of the crucial Easter period.

Whilst Leeds are comfortably the second tier’s most potent side in 2024, having won 11 and drawn one of their 12 games, they won’t have it their own way against a side who have recorded three wins from four since Neil Harris’ return, which includes a 2-1 victory over Southampton.

However, Leeds remain the only side yet to taste defeat on home turf, and will no doubt be the favourites to pick up maximum points yet again.

Whilst Leeds can go top of the table if the aforementioned result comes in, it must also be noted that Ipswich Town also have the chance to close the gap between first and third place to just one point when they take on Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road, as Kieran McKenna’s side look to respond to a dramatic collapse at Cardiff City.

The Tractor Boys were embarrassed in the FA Cup at the hands of Non-League Maidstone United, but have seized the chance to drastically improve their league form in recent weeks, and a win against the Owls will definitely see Leicester’s nerves increase tenfold, as if they weren’t already through recent financial reports.

Although they aren’t involved in second tier action this weekend, the Foxes’ promotion ambitions could be thrown into severe uncertainty by the time they kick off at Ashton Gate on Good Friday.