LEICESTER SET TO HOST FC COPENHAGEN
English Premier League defending champions Leicester City are set to play host to FC Copenhagen on Tuesday in a UEFA Champions League clash.
The King Power Stadium will be lit with stars from both European sides. The game is expected to be a competitive tie, with the hosts having won the first two Group G games. Leicester City would also accord the Champions League game a priority according to the coach Claudio Ranieri.
The Foxes have started their title defence on a poor note, garnering just eight points after eight games. However, they have enjoyed a different fate in Europe and they want it to remain as such. They thrashed FC Porto 1-0 after confidently defeating Club Brugge 3-0.
“In the Premier League we must be safe at the end of the year. The Champions League is now. At this moment, it’s a priority,” Ranieri said. Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are expected to start during the clash since returning from international duty. They played as substitutes as they lost 3-0 to Chelsea during the weekend but would get starting shirts during the game against Copenhagen.
Nampalys Mendy remains sidelined after he received a minor operation on an ankle injury he picked up two months earlier. Ranieri has insisted that they would take the game very seriously as he claims it “will tell us [them] what we can do in the Champions League.”
Last term Leicester lost three games in the whole Premier League season; meanwhile they have lost four already this term.
“We want to improve but it’s normal when we start the season o have something to work on because new players have come and everything is new,” Ranieri explained. He said they were getting better and that there was no pressure about relegation.