Leicester City played a frustrating 2-2 draw against Bristol City on Wednesday evening. The Foxes led 2-0 but threw the lead away in another challenging evening at the office for Marti Cifuentes and co.
The result wasn’t the only blow LCFC suffered either. Just before the end, important midfielder Jordan James had to leave the field due to an injury.
Cifuentes’ side have a quick turnaround ahead of Saturday’s match against a resurgent Ipswich Town. As such, they are sweating over the availability of loan star James as he nurses a groin problem.
“With JJ we had to fill in for him because he was having a hard time at halftime,” Cifuentes said Leicestershire live after Wednesday’s game. “We tried to see how things could go in the second half, but it didn’t get any better. Because we play a match within 48 hours, it is important to keep everyone available. Hopefully [he can play on Saturday]. He said he felt it and it didn’t get better.
Well-founded concerns about injury to key Leicester City player
Given that James played through the early part of the second half after reporting the issue, it could be assumed that it is not something serious. Leicester City can certainly hope that is the case given his importance to the team.
In a campaign where few Foxes players have stood out, James has shone. On loan from Stade Rennais, the Welshman has secured a starting spot and proven to be an important source of goals, with the forwards struggling to perform.
Operating in an advanced role as an attacking midfielder or deeper in a midfield combination, James has scored five goals and two assists in 16 Championship games. He had scored in back-to-back games against Sheffield United and Derby County going into the match against Bristol City.
Missing a player of his value against a team as strong as Ipswich Town could be a big blow. Cifuentes hopes James is fit and ready to go despite his withdrawal in midweek.
Jordan James – Stats 2025/26
| Metric | Total |
| Games | 16 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Opportunities created | 35 |
| Passes completed | 330 |
| Crossing completed | 28 |
Who could replace Jordan James at Leicester City?
It was Patson Daka who replaced James on Wednesday as Leicester City looked for a goal to decide the match. However, a midfielder will likely be seen as a more equal player against Ipswich Town.
Hamza Choudhury can come in at right-back, with Ricardo Pereira taking his place. The latter was not used during the week, which would probably guarantee his condition for Saturday.
Boubakary Soumare is currently sidelined, while Harry Winks appears to be frozen in the wake of another rift and is set to leave in January. It leaves options in midfield limited, so if his injury turns out better, James could be asked to play through the pain barrier.
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