Leicester City had the same starting line-up for three straight games and they paid the price at Luton Town

Leicester City's injury-time defeat to Luton Town on Saturday brought a hectic week to a close, with the Foxes playing three League One games in seven days.

City beat Doncaster Rovers 2-1 at home before travelling to London to dismantle Bromley in midweek. On Saturday, Leicester travelled to Kenilworth Road hoping to make a major statement against Jack Wilshere's side, but never really got going.

Alex McCarthy made a number of impressive saves to keep City in the game before Nakhi Wells put the hosts ahead before half-time. A slow start and struggles to play out from the back meant Leicester had to be more adventurous after the break.

Liam Cullen's excellent equaliser looked to have rewarded Martin's team for their persistence in the pouring rain, only for two Luton substitutes to combine for a winner in the fourth minute of added time.

After the game, Martin said his players lacked the “energy” they had shown against Doncaster and Bromley, making the trip to Luton particularly difficult. He had named the same starting XI for the third game in seven days.

"We lacked the energy we've had in the last few games and the aggression to get up to the ball," he said in the tunnel at Kenilworth Road. "It was frustrating, we spoke so much about the importance of our behaviour at the start of the game and we didn't do that, so it made it really difficult."

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There is an argument that Martin was right to stick with the same starting line-up across the three games. The win over Doncaster was much-needed and came after a change of formation, while Bromley were then ripped to shreds by the same XI. After two consecutive victories and some of their best football of the season, why would Martin change anything?

On the other hand, playing three games in a week is demanding for any player, regardless of the opposition. Martin did not make his first substitutions against Doncaster or Bromley until after the 70th minute, before naming the same XI at Luton. He made two changes at half-time on Saturday.

Had Martin changed a winning team and Leicester still lost, he would likely have faced criticism for that decision, too. But the City boss has already highlighted the learning of navigating three-game weeks better earlier this season.

At the end of August and start of September, the Foxes played MK Dons, Plymouth and Oxford United in the space of a week. A goalless draw at Stadium MK was followed by a 2-0 victory over Plymouth in midweek, before Martin made three changes for the Oxford game, including a change in goal following Jakub Stolarczyk's ACL injury.

City were thrashed 4-0 by Aaron Ramsey's side, with Martin again identifying a lack of energy as a problem. “We had a lot of guys who were playing their third game in a week for the first time in their careers on the pitch, but it’s no excuse," he said.

“We have to be so much better than that. It’s a real wake-up call and what’s so frustrating is, with all the energy that’s been building here, the last three performances, the last couple of results, we then go and produce that.

“We couldn’t go again today. The energy was a big problem, but even if you’re feeling tired, we have to be so much better.” He added: “Energy, aggression and fight – and we lacked it in the first half an hour.

“I guess the learning is we have to make changes when we have a three-game week again, but it’s still not acceptable. We’re learning but we have to make sure this is the worst we feel all season."

The games against Doncaster, Bromley and Luton were Leicester's first three-game week since then, but there was little evidence that Martin's side had learned from the experience. Instead, the same XI started all three games, and by the time Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Luton came around, fatigue appeared to have taken its toll.

There is, of course, a strong argument in Martin's favour. Leicester had struggled to build momentum in the league before the Doncaster game, but the back-to-back victories - their first since November 2025 - had injected valuable confidence into the squad.

Martin has another three-game week to navigate, starting with Wigan's visit on Tuesday, just three days after the defeat at Luton. Leicester then face Stevenage. The Leicester boss has already confirmed that changes will be made when League One's bottom club visit.

"We're going to need everyone," he said. "I expect there will be changes to the team now on Tuesday, because we have a lot of games in a tight period and we didn't win the game today, so everyone has to be ready."

John Lundstram's suspension means at least one change is guaranteed in midfield, while Caleb Okoli could also drop out of the starting XI after being substituted at half-time against Luton.

You can read the FOUR changes that could be made HERE...

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