Nigel Pearson might be forgiven for not knowing whether to stick or twist tomorrow night. He put his strongest team out against Peterborough on Saturday and they failed to deliver. Does he send the same eleven players out tomorrow night and tell them to make amends? He put a weakened team out against Huddersfield in the original FA Cup tie and they also failed to deliver. Does he send that side back out onto the field tomorrow night and tell them to put things right? Indeed, is the FA Cup becoming an unwelcome distraction, with injuries to key players like Wood and Marshall beginning to take their toll?
My instinct is that Pearson will not play his strongest side. The likes of Waghorn, Futacs, Wellens, Dyer and Gallagher are bound to feature. Perhaps not a huge gamble given that Huddersfield are set to be without a recognised striker. Beckford is unavailable as he is a Leicester player, but Novak and Vaughan are also doubts. With Pearson likely to play his regular back five, the meanest defence in the league, it is hard to see Huddersfield posing much of a goal threat. The question will be, if Nugent is rested, whether the Foxes second string attack can find the back of the net. If they can't, extra time and penalties may beckon...
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