Lineker tips Leicester to survive

A run of five wins in six games has lifted the Foxes outside the relegation zone - and Hull's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal even left them above Steve Bruce's men on goals scored and in 16th place.

Nigel Pearson's men have crucial games to come against Sunderland and QPR, the teams in 18th and 19th, with the latter looking bound for relegation which could well be confirmed before their meeting with Leicester on the last day of the season.

Lineker, a Leicester fan, told BBC Leicester: "If I was a neutral looking at this, I would say 99 per cent sure Leicester will stay up.

"It's nice to have in the bag that the last game is QPR at home when it's massively odds-on for them to be relegated by that stage. That might be quite handy if things don't go too well in the next two games.

"If Leicester get any sort of result at Sunderland that will pretty much guarantee they stay up, particularly if they get anything this weekend against Southampton.

"I think they will [stay up]. I don't want to tempt fate but given their turnaround in fortunes, and given the fixtures that other sides at the bottom have got and the fixtures Leicester have got, I would now be quite surprised if they don't.

"It's not impossible, of course, and lose the next two games and you are bang under the cosh."