Simon Grayson returns to the Walkers Stadium on Boxing Day hoping for a first win over his old club Leicester City since taking charge at Leeds United two years ago.

Second-placed Leeds are looking to extend their unbeaten run to ten games and manager Grayson, who spent six years at Leicester as a player, will be happy to make himself unpopular with Foxes fans if his side turn over Sven Goran Eriksson’s team.

Leicester won 2-1 at Elland Road as recently as October but Grayson said: “I had six years at Leicester and that was my best time as a player. My first game as Leeds manager was against them and two years down the line here we are preparing to play against them.

“We haven’t beaten them since I came here but it’s about time we did and hopefully I won’t have too many friends at the Walkers Stadium on Sunday.”

Grayson added: “They have a fantastic manager and players who are capable of getting them out of this division.

“They gave us a tough time when we played them in October. They’ve had some inconsistent results away but at home they are a major threat. Having said that, I am sure they are aware that we are unbeaten in nine games and they know what we can achieve. It has the hallmarks of being a great game.”

Grayson is one of the longest serving managers in the Championship and says: “After two years I am delighted still to be in this job, based on what has happened to some other managers over the last few months and years.

“It is a precarious industry but I want to be here for a lot longer. When I came to the club I was asked to get them out of League One and we managed to achieve that. Hopefully we can keep progressing for the next few years.

"Two years down the line we are sitting second in the Championship so I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Ideally, it would have been very nice to have climbed out of League One when we lost to Millwall in the play-off semi-final but we achieved a lot that season and we had a fantastic season last year, winning promotion and enjoying the cup runs.

“We’ve had a lot of highs and some negatives along the way but I’ve learned from the lows as a manager and I believe the club and the players have as well. We have only made a start towards what I set out to achieve – getting the club back into the Premier League but he last two years are up there among the most enjoyable I have had in my career.

“I did state on the day I walked through the door that somebody would eventually take the club back into the Premiership and two years on I would like to go on to achieve that."

Defenders Alex Bruce and Andy O’Brien are doubtful. Both have done some running in training but on-loan O’Brien has gone back to Bolton for a few days to let them assess his injury.

“If the two players are in any doubt we won’t run the risk of playing them because Leigh Bromby came in last week and did well after awaiting his opportunity,” said Grayson.