Thursday 2 April 2015 19:27, UK
Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson is counting on home wins to keep the club in the Premier League.
It is an ambitious goal for the Foxes, who are still seven points from the safety of 17th position in the Premier League, but a win over West Ham at the King Power Stadium on Saturday could lift them off the bottom of the table for the first time since November.
Their survival task is also made a little easier by the fact they are scheduled to play six of their remaining nine fixtures at home, starting with the clash against Sam Allardyce’s Hammers.
“I think when you look at our form so far this season, the fact that we’ve not been more successful at home is a disappointment and I think a surprise for a lot of people,” Pearson said.
“We know that if we perform to our maximum at home we’ve got chances in those games, even though we’ve got to play Chelsea at home, it’s a game that we look forward to.
“And of course our away games are going to be very important as well. When you’re playing against sides you can potentially drag into the situation – one or two are very much still in the relegation fight – then that again gives you a different type of motivation.
“Hopefully that’ll take us into the next few games and give us some confidence in trying to get out of the relegation zone.”
Tottenham’s 4-3 win over Leicester at White Hart Lane before the international break might be remembered more for Harry Kane’s hat-trick than the Foxes' own three goals, but striker David Nugent says it was a turning point in his side's form.
“If we look at the run-in, then I think we’ve got probably the best run-in out of all the teams in the bottom four," Nugent told the club's official website.
“But West Ham is still a big game for us. They beat us 2-0 at Upton Park, so now it’s time for us to get a bit of payback.
“Results seem to be going for us all the time. Every time we lose, the teams around us seem to lose as well. But with the performance we put in against Tottenham, we expected to get some points.
“When you score three away from home you expect to. These next games are vital though and we need to start it off with a win.”
