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Champions Leicester are 13th in the table, with two wins from
eight games, but their poor domestic form has been tempered by
an encouraging start in the Champions League, where they top
their group with three wins in three games.
Pardew, whose team are ninth after being beaten at home by West
Ham United last weekend, is expecting another tough contest away
to a Leicester side he says is full of "character".
"Leicester will certainly finish in the top eight, so there's a
real fight for us," Pardew told reporters on Friday.
"I think they've targeted the Champions League this year and
quite rightly so after last year... They won the league because
of the character in the dressing room, and that character will
come through.
"We think we can go toe-to-toe with anybody. I think this
fixture will be very tight again and I hope we come out on the
right side."
Leicester lost midfielder N'Golo Kante to Chelsea in the close
season and Pardew said the departure of the Frenchman, one of
the pivotal figures in last season's title-winning team, was the
reason why Claudio Ranieri's men were struggling.
"They're missing Kante and they haven't quite got the balance
right without him. Any club would miss him, he's proved his
worth at Chelsea," Pardew said.
Palace defender Scott Dann will be on the bench on Saturday
after missing their last three league games with a hamstring
injury.
(Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
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