Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the FA Cup fourth-round replay between Leicester City and Derby County at the King Power Stadium. The East Midlands rivals, who have experienced contrasting fortunes over the past few months, played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Pride Park just under a fortnight ago to set up this only replay of the round.

Leicester, in stark contrast to last season's memorable and historic campaign, are struggling for momentum and are now in a serious struggle for their Premier League safety. Derby, on the other hand, have been on the up since Steve McClaren came on board four months ago, climbing steadily up the table to find themselves well positioned to break into the top six. All focus is on the FA Cup this evening, though, with a meeting against Millwall on the line.

TEAM NEWS!

LEICESTER CITY XI: Zieler, Amartey, Wasilewski, Benalouane, Chilwell, Mendy, King, Albrighton, Kapustka, Gray, Musa

DERBY COUNTY XI: Mitchell, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Lowe, De Sart, Butterfield, Johnson, Camara, Anya, Blackman

Starting with a look at the home team, manager Claudio Ranieri has made a whopping 10 changes to his starting lineup. The under-fire Italian made clear that he intended to rotate things this evening, with a huge Premier League clash with fellow strugglers Swansea City on the horizon, plus the small matter of a Champions League last-16 tie against Sevilla later this month.

Ahmed Musa is the only player to retain his place in the XI that faced Manchester United a few days back, as Yohan Benalouane and Bartosz Kapustka are both handed their first starts of the season. It has certainly been a long time coming, but now that they have been thrown in from the off will they make any sort of impact? There is no sign of new recruit Molla Wague this evening, though, due to the fact that he joined after the first meeting between the sides a couple of weeks back.

With Kasper Schmeichel being rested, Ron-Robert Zieler comes in for his first appearance of any sort in two months. The German did not exactly impress when filling in for the Foxes' first-choice stopper earlier in the season, keeping just one clean sheet in his 11 outings between the sticks. Leonardo Ulloa and Islam Slimani are not part of the rotation due to injury problems, meanwhile, with Kapustka, Demarai Gray and Musa being tasked to lead the line for this fourth-round replay.

In terms of the visitors, McClaren has also made mass changes to his side - eight in all from the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United recently. I can understand Ranieri's thinking behind a mass reshuffle - his side have two truly massive games coming up in two other competitions, after all - but in the Rams' case this will be an opportunity missed if their second-string fail to pick up a win at the King Power Stadium tonight.

Richard Keogh, Bradley Johnson and Jacob Butterfield are the three players to retain their places in the side from that defeat at St James' Park on Saturday. Most disappointingly of all, Darren Bent - the scorer of 10 goals in his last 11 appearances in this competition, including one at either end in the reverse tie - misses out on the squad entirely. Craig Bryson and Marcus Olsson are also rested, as McClaren prioritises league over cup.

There is one positive for those travelling Derby fans, though, as former Leicester player David Nugent has made the short journey to the King Power Stadium to take up a place on the bench. Half of the visitors' changes come in the back four - or five, as it appears - while Jonathan Mitchell earns a second start of the season in goal; Scott Carson being afforded a rest. Further forward, Ikechi Anya and Abdoul Camara replace Johnny Russell and Tom Ince.

BENCH WATCH!

LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Hamer, Drinkwater, Slimani, Okazaki, Ndidi, Mahrez, Fuchs

DERBY COUNTY SUBS: Carson, Russell, Ince, Baird, Pearce, Vydra, Nugent

Ben Hamer on back-up keeper duties this evening, while in terms of outfield options Leicester do at least have plenty of first-team regulars to choose from - Islam Slimani, Shinji Okazaki and Riyad Mahrez among them. Bent may have been left out of the visitors' matchday squad entirely, but they do have Tom Ince among their back-up options should they require a goal in the second half. Former Leicester striker Nugent is back from injury and also among the subs.

Disappointingly, Claudio Ranieri and Steve McClaren have made 18 changes between them this evening. The majority of those have been made by Leicester City, who show 10 alterations from last time out; Ahmed Musa the only survivor from the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United here on Sunday. In terms of Derby County, they have made eight switches from their 1-0 loss at Newcastle United a day prior, with three star names missing out on the squad altogether.

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Difficult to truly blame Ranieri for resting pretty much the entire of his first-team squad for this evening's game, as the Foxes currently sit 16th in the Premier League table and could well find themselves in the drop zone by the end of next weekend. City are on course to make history of the wrong type this term as the first post-war team - and just the second ever - to be relegated from the English top flight the season after winning the league title.

It has been a disastrous season for City even before the new year had rolled around, but it has gone from bad to worse since then as they have won just one of their seven games in all competitions - nearly as bad as Liverpool! That sole victory came in round three against Everton, while in the Prem they have lost four in succession to drop perilously close to the bottom three. Their only other game this term finished goalless against Boro, meaning they are the only team in the top-four tiers of English football awaiting a league goal this year.

It is now very much a six-team battle to avoid those three relegation spots, albeit with Bournemouth trying their best to join the party. The good news for Leicester - or bad, depending on how you see it - is they face fellow strugglers Swansea next, as well as Hull later in the month. It truly is make-or-break time for the Foxes, who could be in the mire come Sunday evening or sitting a little more comfortably, depending on how they perform in South Wales.

Leicester also have two cup competitions to focus on, which is often seen as a distraction - as highlighted by Ranieri's team selection this evening - although in the case of the Champions League it cannot simply just be written-off. Competing in Europe's showpiece competition is potentially a once in a lifetime event, and supporters will be hoping to see their strongest-possible XI fielded against Sevilla later this month regardless of results between now and then.

It is fair to say that the FA Cup is bottom of Ranieri's priorities, then, with Swansea and Sevilla in focus at the moment. Defeat today will only see the pressure on the Italian intensify, however, with the club's owners' words of backing only doing little to calm the situation. As the former Chelsea boss said himself on Tuesday - the public backing only goes so far; Leicester must simply now win games or else they are in serious trouble. A run of momentum could well start with the visit of Derby tonight.

DID YOU KNOW? Leicester City have only made it beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup twice in the last 11 seasons, but they are unbeaten in their last eight ties against lower-league sides. The Foxes' last defeat against second-tier opposition or lower came vs. West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round 15 years ago. The Premier League champions are favourites to progress through this evening, setting up a meeting with Millwall at The Den later this month.

It has been a tough campaign for Claudio Ranieri, less than a year on from lifting the Premier League title. The Foxes' Far East owners have flown in for this match to show their public support for the Italian, who incredibly finds himself under pressure despite last year's quite extraordinary achievement. The bottom line, though, is that City are at risk of dropping down to the Championship and, should that continue, the axe will surely have to be swung sooner rather than later.

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Not looking too bright at the King Power Stadium, then, but things are certainly on the up at Derby County - since former Foxes boss Nigel Pearson departed in October, anyway, just five months after joining amid much promise and excitement. McClaren has achieved plenty during his managerial career to date, not least winning a league title in the Netherlands, but he will consider guiding the Rams to the Premier League this term as being right up there.

McClaren has transformed County's fortunes in his four months at the club since replacing Pearson, 17 months after himself being sacked after a disappointing end to a campaign that had so much promise for the Midlanders. Derby were 20th in the division when he was swept in for a second go at promotion, and he has since won 11 of 18 to take his side to within three points of Sheffield Wednesday in that final Championship playoff spot.

Seven of those 11 wins came in succession pre-Christmas, but the form has been far more mixed since then as many of the teams chasing down the fourth and final playoff spot begin to stutter. The Rams have a real chance of putting together another winning run, though, as they face five teams struggling in the bottom half in quick succession over the next month or so. Not always that straightforward in the Championship, granted, but County are certainly well positioned to mount a charge in the remaining months.

It is just three defeats in 17 across all competitions for Derby, though all of those losses have come in their last five away outings - including at McClaren's former St James' Park hunting ground last time out. The good news for County is that they have lost only one of their last seven away games in the FA Cup; a run that includes an impressive victory over another Premier League side in West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in the last round.

The Rams' win over West Brom marked the first time that they have defeated a team in a higher division in the FA Cup in 31 years, so they are not exactly known for pulling off an upset - no matter how big or small the odds may be. They have only gone further that this stage of the competition once in the last six years, meanwhile, highlighting their lack of real pedigree in recent times. A great chance to put that right tonight, although a weakened starting lineup certainly does not help.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Derby County have lost eight of their last 10 meetings with Leicester City in all competitions, with the Rams' only win in that time coming at Pride Park in March 2013. The initial meeting between these East Midlands rivals finished 2-2 12 days ago; Darren Bent scoring once at either end in that one, before Wes Morgan cancelled out a Craig Bryson goal late on to set up the only replay of the round.

With kickoff at the King Power Stadium now exactly 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Claudio Ranieri: "The FA Cup is an important achievement and we have to fight for it. I'll make some changes. I have to protect some players who need to recover and rest. Also, I want to give the opportunity to the other players. This club, these players, came from the bottom to win a title. These players are warriors. They have already lived this situation. They know the problem, they know the enemy."

Steve McClaren: "We are the underdogs again. Leicester are a very good team on their day and are very capable of reaching the heights of last season again. I watched the Manchester United game and, for the first 40 minutes, Leicester were back to their usual aggressive, pressing selves. But they are not getting the goals that they were last season and Man United turned it around."

Ranieri hinted at changes prior to the match, but not many were expecting a near-complete overhaul. "Warriors" is the word he uses to describe his players - they will certainly need to show those warrior-like traits over the next few weeks, as they take on both Swansea and Hull in the Premier League, Sevilla in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, and potentially Derby and Millwall in the FA Cup. It really is make-or-break time for the English champions.

McClaren acknowledging that his side are once again underdogs this evening, with a big performance needed from his second-string side if they are to progress through. The former Newcastle boss cites City's showing against Man United as a reason why they are not at the same level as last season - a serious lack of goals in recent weeks in particular seeing them slip further and further down the division. Leicester are the only team in the top-four tiers of English football still awaiting a league goal in 2017.

PREDICTION! Not long to go now until kickoff, so it seems like a good time to offer a prediction. Eighteen changes made in total by the two teams combined - including 10 for Leicester, who keep only Ahmed Musa in the XI that started against Man United a few days ago - but their contrasting fortunes over the past few months suggests this one should be tight. We saw a real entertaining match at Pride Park recently, and I am backing this one to go the distance - 2-2.

Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, getting the pre-match handshakes out of the way with. A quick chance to remind you of the team news - 10 changes for the Foxes, including a new-look back five, while Derby make eight alterations. Skipper Richard Keogh remains in the heart of defence, but otherwise it is a mix-and-match of first-team players and back-up options.

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KICKOFF! Derby County get us up and running at the King Power Stadium, sporting their traditional white and black home strip. A much-changed Leicester City looking to find some momentum in the opening stages of the contest.

A good atmosphere being generated inside the King Power Stadium this evening, which was always to be expected in what is a derby clash. Plenty of pace in Leicester's forward line this evening, with Gray and Musa linking up early on, but no way through so far.

Half a chance for Amartey, who gets on the end of a loose ball once Musa's left-sided cross was cleared. A tough technique to pull off, though, as he sends his header on to the roof of the Derby net. Leicester started the brighter of the two.

YELLOW CARD! Early yellow shown to Cyrus Christie for completely wiping out Gray. A nasty one for the Leicester flyer, but he is soon back to his feet and OK to continue. A case of walking a tightrope for the Derby full-back.

YELLOW CARD! More yellows than shots in the opening nine minutes or so, as Nampalys Mendy becomes the second player to enter the referee's book. A challenge on De Sart enough to see him booked, with neither time yet to create anything.

A decent enough tempo to the game, with both sides looking to get the ball forward, but a case of the teams cancelling each other out at the moment. Kapustka, playing off Musa, sends a shot well wide from long range.

Derby have dealt with a few corners in the opening 12 minutes of the match, the latest of which Wasilewski could not quite get on the end of. From that the visitors quickly countered, but Blackman did not have the height to meet Anya's cross.

Still a nice feel to the good, as both teams look to find that breakthrough goal, but it is just not quite happening for either of them thus far. A couple of dangerous Derby crosses dealt with, while up the other end Amartey headed over early on.

Blackman slips the ball through for Camara, but he has just one white shirt and six blues to pick out. In the end he is happy to settle for a corner, which went all the way through before finally being cleared by the home side.

SHOT! Leicester just could not clear their lines from that last attack, and Abdoul Camara so nearly capitalised by curling a shot narrowly wide. Initially looked to be one of those shot-crosses due to the angle, but he was going for the top corner.

Derby have enjoyed the more sustained spells of possession so far. The Rams' only attempt so far was flashed wide of the far post by Camara, while Leicester saw their only serious effort - an Amartey header - end on the roof of the net.

Leicester the side doing more of the probing over the past few minutes, patiently looking to create that first real opening of the match. Up the other end, yet another Anya cross comes in for the home side to deal with - just!

Not been a classic so far, it is fair to say. Still awaiting a shot on target with a quarter of the match played; neither side truly doing enough to create a clear-cut opening in front of goal. Still plenty of time for all that to change.

PENALTY APPEAL! Shackell sends Musa crashing to the ground, but referee Mike Jones felt that the contact was too minimal to award a penalty. Appeared to be a case of momentum sending the Leicester man to the ground, so correct call on initial viewing.

Another small shout for a Leicester penalty, with Benalouane this time the player going to ground. Very little in it once again, though, as we await out first big talking point in this quiet fourth-round replay in the East Midlands.

CHANCE! Leicester looking more composed over the past few minutes, but just when they were slowly building up momentum a breakdown in communication sees the ball go straight out for a Derby throw. Gray sent in a superb cross from the right moments later but Musa was inches away from getting on the end of it.

Derby's best bet of finding a breakthrough appears to be down their left, with Anya in particular getting plenty of crossing opportunities. Leicester, meanwhile, are utilising the pace of Gray down the middle.

Leicester fans urging their players on, perhaps beginning to feel a little frustrated by the lack of quality being shown in that final third. Gray's cross towards Musa the closest either side has come to finding a breakthrough goal.

King cannot quite pick out Musa's run, as another attacking moves comes to an abrupt halt. Been one of those games so far and, truth be told, it is difficult to see either side finding a way through before the interval.

PENALTY APPEAL! Third penalty shout of the half for Leicester, this time after Keogh barged into Chilwell inside the box. This was the best appeal of the lot, but Mike Jones was quick to wave away the calls for a pen.

Having seen a replay of that penalty incident involving Keogh and Chilwell, it is fair to say that the Derby defender got away with one there. Not a stonewall penalty by any means, but he should not have been barging into his opponent in that manner.

Johnson lands awkwardly after jumping for the ball, leading to a short stoppage in play. Half time now fast approaching at the King Power Stadium in a game of very little goalmouth action - still awaiting an attempt on target, in fact.

SAVE! Two minutes of added time to come at the end of this so-far goalless first half. Derby the side currently pushing for that opener, and we are rewarded with a first proper attempt of the match as Butterfield's long-range strike is pushed aside by a strong Zieler hand.

The two teams go into half time all square, bringing an end to an opening 45 minutes devoid of any real action. A Butterfield shot aside at the end of the allotted time, we have seen very little to suggest that either side will find a way through. Fingers crossed for a better second half, with both managers potentially thinking about a change at the interval.

The hosts had what proved to be a rare sight of goal a few minutes in, but Daniel Amartey could only head the ball on to the roof of the net from what was a difficult opening. A combined 18 changes to the sides' starting lineups certainly was not helping with the flow of the match, as both teams struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the quietest of first halves.

Abdoul Camara sent one shot curling wide of the target, while two soft Leicester penalty appeals were also rejected by referee Mike Jones. City did have one strong shout turned down later in the half, though, when Ben Chilwell appeared to be shoved off the ball by Richard Keogh. It was Derby who came closest to an opener prior to the interval, through a well-struck Jacob Butterfield shot that Ron-Robert Zieler did well to push aside.

Plenty for both managers to ponder at this midway stage, then, with Leicester City boasting more decisive players in their ranks. Derby do have Tom Ince to call upon, though - a player who seems to simply love playing under McClaren.

LEICESTER CITY SUBS: Hamer, Drinkwater, Slimani, Okazaki, Ndidi, Mahrez, Fuchs

DERBY COUNTY SUBS: Carson, Russell, Ince, Baird, Pearce, Vydra, Nugent

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RESTART! We are back up and running at the King Power Stadium, where there is no news of any changes at the break. Forty-five minutes for one of these sides to find a breakthrough, or else we go to extra time.

After sitting through a poor first half in terms of entertainment value, it has taken exactly 60 seconds of the second half for that breakthrough goal. It was simple enough, too - Gray's cross being met at the back post by Albrighton, who headed into the path of King to himself nod past Mitchell.

Much, much better from Leicester, as they go in search of a second. A good run down the right from Musa ends with the ball coming into the box, but Gray cannot quite get his boot on the end of it. Derby need to keep afloat in this match.

A real spring in Leicester's step at the moment, as another teasing cross is plucked out of the air by Mitchell. McClaren appears to be readying a fresh pair of legs to come on, with the Rams now very much second best.

DERBY COUNTY SUB! Matej Vydra is on in place of Bradley Johnson in the first alteration of this fourth-round rpelay. A change of personnel was certainly required for the visitors, but still no sign of Tom Ince just yet.

SAVE! Abdoul Camara offers Derby's best response since falling behind, but his free kick from 25 yards out is slapped to safety by Zieler. The Derby forward then blasted wide from the next attacking move, as momentum begins to turn.

Leicester have, disappointingly, not built on their impressive start to the second half. It is Derby who are asking more of the questions now, without doing a great deal to trouble Zieler - that Camara free kick aside. Ranieri perhaps thinking about making his first change.

Albrighton catches his opponent in the head with a high boot, leading to another Derby free kick from around 25 yards out. Camara, denied by Zieler a few minutes ago, has better luck this time as his free kick deflects massively off Chilwell and beats the wrong-footed German.

Difficult to tell whether that Camara attempt was heading for the target without the aid of a deflection, but for now it has gone down as his goal. Leicester punished for not building on their early lead in this second half.

A decent Butterfield delivery from a right-sided free kick drops dangerously inside the hosts' box, but no player in a white shirt can get a direct shot on goal. Far better spectacle in this second half, with the sides sharing a goal apiece.

You would fancy one of these sides to go on and win the tie in normal time based on the past 20 minutes, with the East Midlands rivals now taking it in turns to enjoy spells of possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Play is paused for a couple of minutes due to a boot to the head of Benalouane. One goal apiece in this FA Cup fourth-round replay as we enter the final 20 minutes. Extra time beckons if it remains this way - not ideal for either manager.

Unlike in the first half, there is more of an edge-to-the-seats feel about this second half as a third of the evening will likely win it. Ranieri and McClaren both holding off on making subs, with just the one made so far - Vydra on for Johnson.

Now into the final quarter of normal time, but the 10 minutes since Derby's leveller suggests that we are going all the way this evening. No attempts since then, with both teams again seeing plenty of the ball without doing too much with it.

DERBY COUNTY SUB! Goalscorer Camara is replaced by Johnny Russell - the visitors' second alteration. Still Ranieri sits back and waits to make his first switch, with Slimani, Okazaki and Mahrez among his back-up options tonight.

We have had 15 entertaining minutes in the match but the rest has been very flat. Other than the goals, just the one save for the keepers to make combined, with Zieler keeping out Butterfield late in the first half.

SHOT! Almost a sense of the two sides willingly settling for extra time at the moment. Derby are seeing more of the ball and look the more likely to score, with Russell sending a shot from 25 yards down the middle for Zieler to keep out.

LEICESTER CITY SUB! Mahrez, without a goal in 10 games, is on in place of Kapustka for the final 10 minutes of normal time. King does well to get in behind down the right, but Keogh is at the front post to clear away.

CLOSE! Almost a second headed goal for King, who flicks the ball on at the front post. The ball was crying out for someone to tap it in, but as it is it dropped narrowly wide of the far post. Leicester's best spell since being pegged back.

DERBY COUNTY SUB! David Nugent is welcomed to a good applause around the King Power Stadium. The former Fox replaces Blackman in the visitors' final change of the night. Ranieri still has two alterations available should he wish to use them.

YELLOW CARD! The officials have missed this one. Mitchell misjudges the situation and handles the ball outside his area, but it was not spotted and Leicester's players are furious. Musa is right in the referee's face and earns a yellow.

Extra time now just one minute of normal time away, plus a few minutes of added on. A late winner will liven up what has otherwise been a disappointing game of football, but many have resigned themselves to watching another 30 minutes.

OFF THE POST! Musa's headed attempt from a few yard out, which he did well to direct on goal, is easily handled by Mitchell. A cross then comes into the box and Max Lowe attempts to chest it back to his keeper, but instead it comes back off the post - huge let-off!

Neither manager wanted extra time, but that is the inevitable outcome as both teams matched each other across the 180 minutes we have witnessed so far. It is 3-3 over the two matches - can either side now go and find a winner, or will we require a penalty shootout to separate them?

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KICKOFF! Mahrez gets this extra period of 30 minutes up and running. Leicester boss Ranieri has used his final two subs, bringing on Slimani and Ndidi for Musa and Mendy. Those fresh legs could well make a telling difference.

Leicester making their authority tell early in this period of extra time, sending in a couple of crosses for Derby to clear away. The Rams pretty much pegged back in their own half at the moment, but they do have the chance to counter at times.

What an entrance made by Ndidi, who has smashed the ball in off the post from 25 yards out. The midfielder was not closed down quickly enough, and didn't he just make Derby pay! The Rams have responded once, now can they do so again?

PENALTY APPEAL! Fourth Leicester penalty appeal of the night turned down, this time after Slimani was sent to ground by Keogh. Looked to be a penalty at first, as the Irishman took his opponent's standing leg from under him.

CHANCE! Ten minutes of extra time have elapsed and now all the onus is on Derby to get bodies forward. Gray slaloms his way through the opposition defence, but Slimani fails to tap the ball home from two yards out.

Slimani really should have wrapped things up with that chance but, having failed to do so, Derby are still in with a shout of taking this to pens. Russell's header is a smart one, ending just inches wide of the far post. Good attempt.

King looking to bring the game under control in midfield, with Leicester doing well to see through the remaining minute or so of this first half of extra time. Still 15 minutes to go; still 15 minutes for the visitors to create that one killer chance.

Ranieri the happier of the two managers at this midway stage in extra time, then, having seen Ndidi edge his side ahead with a stunning strike from range. One real piece of quality in a match that has had very few moments of magic up until this point.

RESTART! Derby get this final period of extra time at the King Power Stadium under way. Nothing to lose now for the Championship outfit - they have 15 minutes to rescue their cup hopes and force a penalty shootout.

The ball is so nearly played through for Anya, but there was a tad too much pace on Russell's intended pass. Leicester standing strong with eight or nine players behind the ball, as they look to see out these final 12 minutes.

SAVE! City keeping possession well at the moment, knocking the ball from front to back and left to right. Derby doing plenty of running but they are unable to win back possession, as King's shot is comfortably pushed aside by Mitchell.

That should do it! Gray has been Leicester's best player tonight, rounding off a fine display with another of those slaloming runs which this time culminates with the ball being sent high into the opposition net. Leicester surely into the hat for round five.

A case of Leicester now remaining professional and seeing these final few minutes through. The Foxes' Premier League quality told in the end, finally separating the sides following 180 minutes with very little between them.

Derby still probing away, looking for that goal to give them just a glimmer of hope. Leicester on the brink of just a second win in eight outings in 2017, which should do them a wonder of good ahead of their league trip to Swansea.

A corner is headed clear and Leicester are now just a minute away from booking their place in round five. Millwall await, remember, so they will fancy their chances of securing a place in the last eight of the competition, too.

Referee Mike Jones, who turned down a couple of Leicester City penalty appeals across the 120 minutes, blows his whistle for full time. Derby County put up a brave effort, but in the end they came unstuck in extra time as Wilfred Ndidi and Demarai Gray scored one each to earn the Foxes a 3-1 win. Millwall now await for Claudio Ranieri's side.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the King Power Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from the Leicester camp will follow shortly elsewhere on the site. Thanks for joining!