Leicestershire

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Leicester City head coach Gary Rowett believes his side are improving after earning a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town in the Championship on Saturday.

Patson Daka gave the Foxes the lead before Sindre Walle Egeli equalised in the second period.

The point is enough to lift them out of the relegation zone but Leicester remain without a win from their past 10 league games.

"First and foremost we knew we had three away games out of the first four fixtures against really in-form teams. To come here and do what we've done is testament to the players trying to buy into the structure and what we're trying to do," said Rowett.

"We maybe should have done better early on with Harry Winks' shot and Stephy (Mavididi). I liked the look of us in the first-half and to go a goal ahead with a well worked set-piece we were pleased at half-time."

Leicester remain in the relegation zone on goal difference but Rowett is pleased with how they stood up to Ipswich's second-half onslaught.

"They play with an incredible energy and we were under pressure in the second-half. We were backed up and didn't use the ball well enough but maybe that's because of the run we're in.

"I'm disappointed to concede but I can't complain that Ipswich didn't deserve something for their efforts."

Leicester are at home to Bristol City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

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Leicester City will be no pushovers when they visit Portman Road in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 GMT), according to Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna.

The Foxes have slipped into the relegation zone after having six points deducted for breaching financial regulations, and on the back of a nine-game winless run, but McKenna says they still have plenty of quality.

"We felt it earlier in the season... you look at their starting 11 and they're as strong as anyone in the division," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"If you look at their Premier League experience and international caps and things like that they may even be the strongest team, but in the end it doesn't really matter, we know they have good players and an experienced manager - but we feel we're a good team with good players and it's up to us to show that."

Ipswich will still be without defender Ashley Young and forward Jaden Philogene although McKenna says the latter is nearing a return from a six-week absence with a knee injury.

"Jaden has made some pretty good progress this week, stepping up his ball work, but he hasn't trained with the group yet so isn't ready to be involved," he added.

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Joint-top scorer Jordan James is fit enough to start for Leicester City but needs to be managed carefully, according to head coach Gary Rowett.

The midfielder returned as a late substitute in last weekend's Championship defeat by Norwich City having been sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury.

"He's in a situation where he could be fit enough from the start of a game but the challenge is if he plays 90 minutes is he then okay to go again on Tuesday without much training or game time?" Rowett told BBC Radio Leicester.

The Foxes are on a nine-game winless run in the Championship as they prepare to visit Ipswich Town on Saturday [15:00 GMT] and are one point adrift of safety in the relegation zone.

Caleb Okoli suffered a head injury against Norwich but is expected to be available for the trip to Portman Road while fellow defender Jamal Lascelles, who appeared as a substitute in the same game, is also ready to start said Rowett.

"We've got players coming back but it's how fit are they? When you've got a three-game week coming up it's how you use those players," he added.

"If you pick them in the first game they may not be fit for the second game so it's how you manage them."

Rowett has confirmed goalkeeper Asmir Begovic will be out for a "good few weeks" after straining an ankle in training last week.

Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna became the club's fastest boss to win 100 games in charge when they beat Hull City 1-0 on Tuesday evening.

This was a Premier League fixture last season but while Ipswich are third and will go second with a win on Saturday, Leicester are one point adrift in the relegation zone and on a nine-game winless run in the Championship.

• Ipswich Town have won one of their past 12 league games against Leicester (D4 L7), a 1-0 home win in March 2013.

• Leicester are looking for their first league double over Ipswich since the 2013-14 season when they won the Championship title under Nigel Pearson.

• Ipswich have lost just one of their past 30 league games against teams who are 25+ points below them in the league table (W19 D10), losing 2-1 to Cardiff City in March 2024. At home, they last did so in February 2005 against Watford (W17 D4 since then).

• Leicester are winless in their past nine league games, last enduring a longer run without victory when playing outside the Premier League from February to April 2007 in the Championship (10 games).

• Leicester have gone 29 consecutive league games without a clean sheet – the last side to go 30 games in one season without a shutout was Wolves in 2011-12 in the Premier League (30), and outside the top flight it was Colchester in the Championship in 2007-08 (38).

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Earlier we asked what you make of the news that, from next season, the Championship play-offs will be expanded to include the teams finishing seventh and eighth?

It was announced on Thursday morning that EFL clubs voted in favour of expanding the play-offs from four to six teams.

Here's a selection of your comments...

Josh, Derby: I don't believe this is necessary. I do think that the play-off format should be aligned throughout the top five leagues, but expanding isn't needed. Better distribution of the monies involved and establishing a clear matchday structure to balance various men's and women's leagues would be a better use of everyone's time. This strikes me undue American influence.

Callum, Dartford: I think it's a good thing so teams can push for promotion that thought they wouldn't get near the play-offs.

Cato, Sheffield: If we adopted it to this season, it means that eighth-placed Derby (on 51 points) have about as much a chance of going up as third-placed Millwall (on 63 points). Plus, to accommodate the extra games, would they extend the season into June? I don't like the idea of it at all, and I hope it's short-lived.

Steve, London: Another example of football being ruined, week by week. Don't you dare think about implementing VAR too.

Mark, Stafford: As a Stoke fan, I think it's good news. The season has come to a grinding halt due to being decimated by injuries. Add to that, the quality of what is coming down from the Premier League, it would mean upsets can happen and still allow teams in that mid-table race to dream of greater heights!

Richard, Stansted: Absolutely ridiculous. What is the point of a league format if you are going to make it a bigger lottery to include even more teams at the end of the season? It also brings teams that are even less ready to actually be in the Premier League into scope. But mostly it's the undermining of the league format which makes no sense. I'm a Derby fan - and we look like we would have a chance of benefiting from this if it were in place this season.

Andy, Nuneaton: Anything that expands the opportunities for those outside of the parachute teams is a good thing. We need to get away from this elite view of the Premier League. If it was up to them, they'd stop automatic promotion and relegation and have a system like Rugby Union, where it's based on meeting certain criteria. The eighth-placed club in the Championship getting to the PL? Bring it on!

Ron, Hayling: Money, Money, Money. Players complain about the amount of games they play with the league games and cup competitions so the intention is to play even more at the end of the season. Owners will make some money but that's all that matters!

Barry, Dartford: Yes it's a fantastic for everyone, all the small teams as well as the big boys, to have something to play for. It will give the end of the season something to look forward to.

Benjamin, Poole: I'm a Charlton fan, so it's unlikely we'll come 8th in the Championship any time soon, however, this is ridiculous. More pandering to Americans to make it more likely they'll make money, which is the only thing they care about. Sporting integrity out of the window again. Shame as I felt the Championship was the last bastion of quality and integrity combined. Game has gone.

Broughton, Derby: Absolute ridiculous, put it back to the old days of three straight up, no play-offs. If you don't make top-three you don't deserve to go up.

Julian, London: The worst decision from a footballing point of view ever! The National League teams have been trying to change their system to be like the current EFL system so it seems a very strange decision for the EFL to take. You can finish 8th after 46 games and still get promoted - sporting integrity has been totally lost with this decision. Money over integrity every time!