Last updated at 19:45, Tuesday 23rd October 2012

Take Foxes to stifle Seagulls

Richard Greatorex

One of football's more accurate clichés is that a title-winning campaign is usually built on the back of an impressive home record. In the eight previous seasons since the second tier was renamed the Championship, the most amount of games that any winner of the division has lost on their own soil has been four (Sunderland in 2006-07 and Reading last term).

Even at this early stage of the campaign, there are only two 100% home records left at this level, belonging to Leicester and Cardiff, and we fancy one of these to be extended on Tuesday night when the men from the Midlands entertain an out of sorts Brighton side.

Leicester to beat Brighton at 19/20

City manager Nigel Pearson has become renowned for producing extremely well-drilled defences, and it's been particularly evident again this season. His troops have conceded less than a goal a game, and just two at home.

The trend continues when taking an extended sample. In his 61 league games at Hull, Pearson’s charges conceded 66 times, while in his second spell at Leicester, they have let in 46 from 41 Championship outings.

The Foxes are now unbeaten in six, and the draw at Birmingham at the weekend that put them top came on the back of a five-match winning sequence in which they netted 11 times and conceded three.

In Kasper Schemeichel, the Foxes have one of the finest goalkeepers in the Championship, while captain Wes Morgan was heralded as the best defender outside of the top flight by his manager last week, a thought no doubt shared by both Leicester and Nottingham Forest fans, who have seen him play in excess of 400 times for the East Midlands clubs.

When the defence does its job at one end, you are always in with a shout of taking the spoils, even more so when the likes of former England man David Nugent, pacey winger Lloyd Dyer, and in-form Jamie Vardy are causing trouble the other end of the pitch.

Leicester to beat Brighton at 19/20

In contrast to their hosts, Brighton have endured a torrid time in recent weeks. They were sitting pretty at the top of table after a five-game winning run during August and September, but they have earned just one point from four attempts since, and have slipped to eighth in the table.

Unusually for the Seagulls, they have struggled in front of goal. Ignoring the three-match spell when they netted 11 earlier this season, they have scored just four in their other eight fixtures, including a solitary effort in the previous four games.

Such bluntness could be attributed to the absence of talismanic frontman Craig Mackail-Smith, who has been sidelined in recent weeks with a hamstring problem. Only Burnley (Charlie Austin), Barnsley (Craig Davies) and Leeds (Luciano Becchio) are more reliant on a single player for goals, with Mackail-Smith bagging 35% of Albion's total.

It is worth noting that Brighton bring an impressive defensive record to the King Power Stadium themselves, so a narrow correct score is worth a speculative stake.

Gus Poyet's outfit have conceded just seven times in league action, with only three of those coming away, yet we feel that the form of Leicester should see them home, highlighting a 1-0 victory as the most appealing outcome.

Leicester to beat Brighton 1-0 at 7/1