Leicester City

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Leicester City's potential deal with Michail Antonio will not be going ahead following further injuries, Foxes boss Marti Cifuentes has confirmed.

The former West Ham forward began training with the Championship side in December as he makes his comeback from a serious car crash that left his femur broken in four places.

However, the 35-year-old has sustained another injury that has left a move unfeasible for the Foxes, who are targeting a striker in the January transfer window.

"Michail got a setback in the training. It's a small injury. It's a pity. That probably means that we will not be able to continue the process we started," Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester.

"The window is open. We're going to try to see what other options are available."

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes spoke to BBC Radio Leicester after his side's dramatic 2-1 victory against West Bromwich Albion.

"It's always good to have a win, at home especially. It was great goal from Abdul at the end and the first goal, as well, was a very nice combination for the whole team.

"Definitely, I would say it was a better first-half performance. But I value the togetherness and the capacity to stick together that the guys had in the difficult periods of the second half. Overall, I'm happy for the players.

"The three points doesn't mean that I'm not aware that there are parts of the game that we need to get much better at, and that's what we are working on."

On the fans' boycott: "To the fans that came, I appreciate it because it was a cold night. I hope they got their reward with the last-minute goal and that they went home happy.

"For those that didn't come, I fully respect what their thoughts are. I have full respect for all the fans and I hope we can produce much better performances and better results so they are encouraged to come."

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Leicester City have confirmed that Julian Carranza has returned to his parent club Feyenoord.

The 25-year-old Argentine striker joined the Foxes on a season-long loan from the Eredivisie club in September.

He made nine Championship appearances without scoring.

The club said, external that Carranza "leaves with our thanks and best wishes for the future".

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Marti Cifuentes conceded that Leicester fans' displeasure at Bramall Lane was 'completely fair' after they saw his team slump to a third defeat in four games.

The Foxes were outclassed in their 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United, with Jordan James' injury-time goal nothing more than a consolation.

Leicester manager Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester: "There are certain things I can share with the fans and some things I cannot. What I can say to the fans is I'm sorry that we're in this difficult moment.

"We need to stick together. After the game, I understand that they want to show their frustration – it's completely fair.

"We were playing against a team that showed more capacity to win duels all over the pitch from minute one to 90. They definitely managed to get more momentum on the ball than we did.

"The three goals are individual mistakes that cost us. It's not a good performance – you don't need to concede two goals to show up."

Sheffield United host Leicester City as the headline act on New Year's Day (17:30 GMT) and will be hoping to make it a spectacle.

It's been more than two decades since Bramall Lane welcomed action on the first day of the year and the last time it did so, things did not go the home side's way.

The Blades will enter the new year resolute on closing in on the play-offs, while the Foxes hope to do the same mountainous task with a potential points deduction looming - but can either side begin 2026 in style?

• Sheffield United have lost each of their last three home league games against Leicester City, their worst home losing run against the Foxes.

• Leicester City were beaten 3-2 by Sheffield United at the King Power earlier this season and could lose home and away to the Blades in a league campaign for the first time since 2007-08.

• This will be Sheffield United's first league game played at home on New Year's Day since 2005, a 2-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in the Championship. Each of their eight matches on January 1st since then have come away from home (W1 D3 L4).

• Leicester City are unbeaten in their last eight league games played on New Year's Day, winning seven of those (D1), the longest active run of any team in England's top four tiers – their last such match was in 2024, beating Huddersfield 4-1 at the King Power Stadium.

• Sheffield United's Patrick Bamford has been directly involved in seven goals across his last eight league appearances in the month of January (5 goals, 2 assists), which includes a goal and two assists for Leeds United against Leicester City in 2021.

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes spoke to BBC Radio Leicester after Monday's 2-1 win against Derby County.

"In this league you need to grind it out, and definitely I'm happy. I'm especially happy for the fans, they were outstanding today and I appreciate that for what has been a tough year for everyone," he said.

"The players did a good job in a very difficult game, they fought and did their best during difficult moments in the second half.

"It's always important [to win a derby game]. We played them a few weeks ago and managed to get three points after a good first half, and today the first half was very good again.

"It was disappointing to take the lead and to concede so soon after, but the guys showed the kind of mentality we ask them to have."

Leicester City boss Marti Cifuentes said his side must "do better" after being booed off in the 2-1 home defeat against Watford.

"It is difficult to swallow," Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester. "We started the game well and scored and we tried to push on and get a bigger score but we conceded after a mistake.

"We spoke at half-time that we had to keep our heads up and keep pushing, but we didn't play a good second half.

"Their winning goal was after a sequence of mistakes but we need to be accountable. We didn't push on in the second half to put pressure on to create chances.

"We need to do better; the players have more quality than they are showing.

"There are things we needed to change since I came here but it is not quick. But in football it is all about the next opportunity and there is no hiding. We have to do better."

Leicester City and Watford will look to shake ghosts of Boxing Day's past when they meet at the King Power on Friday (15:00 GMT)

Watford could make the top six with a win if they are also fortunate with results elsewhere but they'll need to repeat their success from last year's Boxing Day triumph, something they've struggled to do in recent club history.

Though Leicester's luck the day after Christmas has been worse and only one can turn around their Boxing Day form.

• Leicester have won each of their last four league games against Watford, their longest ever winning run against the Hornets.

• Watford have won just one of their last 14 away league games against Leicester (D2 L11), losing each of the last seven in a row.

• In English Football League history, only Newcastle (47) and Burnley (45) have lost more games on Boxing Day than Leicester (43). Indeed, the Foxes have won just one of their last 11 such games (D2 L8), beating Man City 2-1 in 2018.

• Watford beat Portsmouth 2-1 on Boxing Day last season but haven't won consecutive Boxing Day matches since a run of six between 1988 and 1994.

• Watford have won just one of their last 16 away league games (D5 L10) and haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their last 15 on the road, last having a longer run between April 2012 and January 2013 (16).

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Leicester City forward Patson Daka scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Zambia as they opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 1-1 draw against Mali.

The 27-year-old was making his 54th senior appearance for the Copper Bullets and scored his 22nd international goal with a header in the 92nd minute in Casablanca.

Daka was on the end of a Mathews Banda cross to secure a point and they are third in their group after hosts Morocco beat Comoros 2-0 in the tournament's curtain-raiser on Sunday.

Mali had taken a 61st-minute lead through Lassine Sinayoko.

Zambia, who won the tournament in 2012, are next in action on Friday when they meet Comoros.