The game was delayed by 24 hours due to Boro’s involvement in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at north-east neighbours Sunderland on Sunday and that could hand an immediate advantage to the Foxes.

Nigel Pearson, who captained Boro to promotion to the Premier League in 1998, saw his Leicester charges comfortably defeat League Two Swindon 2-0 in the cup on Saturday, while Tony Mowbray’s side were involved in a blood and thunder derby draw at the Stadium of Light a day later.

The extra 24 hours’ rest and the fact the Foxes were not pushed too hard should stand the hosts in good stead, although Pearson has doubts over in-form striker Jermaine Beckford and full-back Lee Peltier from that game.

However, loan striker Nathan Delfouneso (13/8 Anytime Scorer) could come in for Beckford, while Liam Moore is available to replace Peltier if required.

Pearson also has midfielder Danny Drinkwater and goalkeeper Conrad Logan available, while new signing Wes Morgan will be in the squad.

Boro have problems in goal with teenage keeper Connor Ripley set for only his second start after coming off the bench to replace veteran Danny Coyne at Sunderland, while first-choice custodian Jason Steele is still sidelined with a thigh strain.

Influential midfielder Nicky Bailey remains sidelined due to a knee injury, while Julio Arca serves the second match of a three-game ban after being sent off at Coventry.

Kevin Thomson returns from his one-game suspension as Mowbray is likely to name a similar side which earned a creditable cup draw on Wearside.

Leicester have won their last three games, albeit two of those were in the FA Cup with a win at Southampton sandwiched in between, while they lost their last league game at the King Power Stadium when Barnsley triumphed 2-1.

The Foxes’ last league win on home soil was against Blackpool at the end of November so they are not exactly firing on all cylinders in front of their own fans.

Boro’s impressive first half to the season has unravelled in recent weeks as they go to Leicester on the back of three successive league defeats, in which time they have conceded eight goals and scored only once.

However Mowbray will no doubt hope his players can transfer their impressive performance from the Sunderland cup tie into the league to ensure they stop the rot in the East Midlands on Wednesday.

Recent fixtures between the two sides have been close affairs with five draws from the last seven, while Leicester won the other two when they did the double over Boro in the 2009/10 season.

It was a goalless draw at the Riverside earlier this season and there is a good chance of a similar outcome this week.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 23/10
Value Bet: 0-0 Draw Correct Score @ 15/2

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Notts County

Although they have lost their opening two games in October, Allen did pick up the manager of the month award in League One, as a reward for his side’s run in September. The curse of the award seems to have taken its toll on the opening results in the new month.

The two results won’t concern Allen too much, and he will see them as a mini blip as he challenges his players to go on winning run once again.

The Magpies were boosted with the news that Lee Hughes has signed an extension to his contract at the club. The former West Brom man has been critical to their rise from League Two strugglers in recent years. Take Hughes to score the first goal in the game at 9/2.

Hughes is one of the leading strikers in this division and always a handful for the opposition defence. He has been so successful at this level over the past couple of season that his goal celebration has become a big hit in these quarters.

Notts County have won four of their last five games in front of their home crowd, and that’s one of the key reasons to why they are currently ninth in the League One table, just one point outside the play-off zone.

It must be said that Hartlepool have had a solid start to their campaign and sit just one place above their opponents going into their game.

However, their recent run of fixtures have been kind to them, and they can expect things to become a lot tougher in the near future.

Coach Mick Wadsworth has refused to talk about promotion, and he is probably wise to do so because they are punching above their weight at the moment.

Their latest result was a 1-0 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday. The start of a tough run of fixtures.

Pools are without an obvious leading striker, like Hughes, who is capable of scoring 15 goals this season. They lacked quality in front of goal last weekend against the Owls.

Notts County are a high scoring side and the visitors will have to score at least twice if they are going to get something from the game on Sunday afternoon.

Take the 2-1 scoreline in favour of Notts County for your correct score selection at 8/1.

Three points on Sunday will keep the Magpies on track for a push for at least the play-offs this season. They struggled last season following promotion into the league, financial problems being their biggest Achilles heels. However, they now know what is required as they look for a return back into the second flight on English football.

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