Preview: Brentford vs. Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Brentford and Leicester City square off in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon in what is one of the most highly-anticipated ties of the fourth round.

While Leicester are currently challenging for the Premier League title, Brentford have put together a 16-match unbeaten streak in the Championship.

Match preview

Leicester have dropped down to third position in the Premier League table since initially moving into top spot with victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night.

Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers will only be focused on one match at a time, and their most recent performance against an expensively-constructed team attracted widespread plaudits.

Praise is nothing new to this Foxes side, who continue to show that they are capable of sustaining a title bid, even with the added distraction of this competition and the Europa League.

Despite having had to contend with injuries to key players, Rodgers has managed to find winning formulas, and he will have high hopes of progressing far in this competition.

Rodgers fielded a stronger-than-expected starting lineup against Stoke City in the previous round, a selection which may leave Thomas Frank in two minds regarding how to approach this match.

A number of positive coronavirus tests have left Brentford having to play catch-up in the Championship with the Bees currently possessing two games in hand on leaders Norwich City.

While Frank and his squad enjoyed a run to the EFL Cup semi-finals earlier in the season, the manager may be against using so many of his first-team players at the weekend.

Nevertheless, Brentford have defeated Southampton, West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and Newcastle United since the beginning of September, something which will have gained Rodgers's respect.

The London outfit reached the fourth round with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough courtesy of goals from Halil Dervisoglu and Saman Ghoddos.

Brentford FA Cup form: W Brentford form (all competitions): WWWLWW

Leicester City FA Cup form: W Leicester City form (all competitions): DDWWWW

Team News

Rodgers is expected to give opportunities to Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu, who have recently returned from long-term injuries.

Hamza Choudhury, Cengiz Under, Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho are also in contention for a place in the Leicester XI.

Jamie Vardy misses out after undergoing a hernia operation, while James Maddison will likely to drop down to the substitutes' bench.

Brentford will be without Josh Dasilva and Ivan Toney after their recent red cards against Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town respectively.

Tariqe Fosu-Henry and Dervisoglu could be provided with opportunities in the final third, while Charlie Goode may replace Mads Bech Sorensen in defence.

Brentford possible starting lineup: Daniels; Dalsgaard, Pinnock, Goode, Henry; Ghoddos, Janelt, Jensen; Dervisoglu, Forss, Fosu-Henry

Leicester City possible starting lineup: Schemichel; Pereira, Fofana, Soyuncu, Justin; Tielemans, Choudhury; Under, Perez, Barnes; Iheanacho

We say: Brentford 1-2 Leicester City

Both managers may feel inclined to make few changes for this contest, something which will only play into the favour of Leicester. We expect Brentford to make a positive impression during this contest, but the Foxes should have enough quality to edge out the in-form Championship side.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.