Leicester City dealt major injury setback before crucial Portsmouth survival clash

Portsmouth host fellow strugglers Leicester City in a high-stakes survival battle at Fratton Park this Saturday.

Leicester are set to be without leading scorer Jordan James for the crucial clash, dealing a significant blow ahead of the trip to the south coast.

However, boss Gary Rowett has offered a boost with Aaron Ramsey nearing a return, raising hopes the midfielder could feature against Pompey.

John Mousinho’s side head into the encounter in strong form, having secured back-to-back victories over Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town to open up a four-point cushion above the relegation zone.

In contrast, Leicester’s situation looks far more precarious. The Foxes sit five points adrift of safety, with the prospect of consecutive relegations looming large.

Rowett’s preparations have been complicated by James’ ongoing heel issue, which is expected to keep him sidelined again this weekend.

The 21-year-old, who has scored 10 Championship goals this season, briefly returned as a substitute in the defeat to Swansea City last week, but the appearance aggravated the problem and has prevented him from training since.

While Rowett insists the injury is not serious, the striker remains a major doubt for Saturday’s must-win encounter.

The Leicester manager explained that James’ heel continues to flare up with any game time or training, making it difficult to build his fitness without causing further setbacks. The club are now carefully managing his condition alongside their medical staff, weighing up the risk of using him with more fixtures looming.

There is slightly more optimism surrounding Ramsey, who has been out since December with a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old has recently returned to training and will be assessed ahead of the game to determine whether he can play a part.

Rowett acknowledged Ramsey’s attacking threat but stressed that no player will be rushed back prematurely, even with the magnitude of the fixture, suggesting Leicester’s squad may remain largely unchanged for the trip to PO4.