Pearson: Stoke offer blueprint

Pearson guided his side to a 1-0 win at Stoke in September and Leicester can go into the game with confidence having picked up seven points from their last three matches.

But the Potters offer a blueprint for clubs coming into the Premier League, according to Pearson, who spent time as a coach there in the early 2000s.

It's a tough game. Whenever you look at Stoke as a football club, they are very well managed, Pearson told Leicesters official website.

They have been able to establish themselves as a top-flight club and are changing certain aspects of their play as they go along.

Success story
"They are one of the Premier Leagues success stories and we know it will be a very tough game. They are a very strong, physical presence but they also have some talented footballers.

They are a good example of where a club would be like to be when they get promoted. You can see how theyve done in the few years that theyve been in the Premier League.

It's not always been straightforward for them but they've found a way of functioning efficiently and theyve managed to change things as theyve gone along.

Despite having already recorded a victory over Mark Hughes side, their first since returning to the top-flight, Pearson is expecting another tough test at the King Power Stadium.

We had a win at their place which was a really tough game for us, he added.

I know Mark at the time was philosophical about it because they'd just been to Man City, did not have a great deal of attacking options and came away with a win.

I suppose what you try and do is look at it from a balanced perspective but its not always easy when youve had your pockets pinched, so to speak.

They have got some really good players. Theyve always had a strong physical presence but I dont think that gives the full picture. They have the capability to play some real football."