Leicester travel to Copenhagen with a maximum point haul of nine and they know that a win in Denmark will secure their passage to the Round of 16. When these two sides met a fortnight ago it was Riyad Mahrez’s header which was the difference and they will hope for more of the same when the two sides meet again this evening.
Many have accused Leicester of focusing too much on the Champions League this season but in fairness to them it’s a tactic that seems to be working, three wins from their first three matches in this competition is the perfect return and Claudio Ranieri’s men will not only want to qualify for the Round of 16 but also go onto win the group and avoid the big guns of Europe.
On Saturday they picked up their first league point on the road this season with a 1-1 draw against Tottenham. After going behind just before the break due to a debatable Vincent Janssen penalty, it only took The Foxes two minutes after the restart to restore parity as Ahmed Musa bundled the ball over the line. Although he got injured and came off soon after it was arguably a price worth paying as Musa scored his second goal in two league matches.
Leicester have been a refreshing breeze through what has been a stagnant Champions League as of late. Last year they took the Premier League by surprise and this year it looks as if they want to take on the whole of Europe and go all the way to winning the competition in May. With the way they have been playing in this competition and from what we know of last season you can’t rule anything out.
That said they will first have to make sure they get past the hurdle which is Copenhagen. Leicester’s Danish ‘keeper Kasper Schmeichel had to be at this best when these two sides first met. His late outstretched save making sure that the home side secured all three points.
Although the Danes did scare Leicester at times, Leicester were in control for large swathes of the match and even playing in front of a partisan crowd this evening you would imagine that it will be the same scenario
Once again Leicester will look to hit their opponents on the counter and utilise the pace of Jamie Vardy, he hasn’t been in the same blistering form of last season but when he’s on the pitch then he always a nuisance for the opposition defenders.
It’s fair to say that Leicester’s star men have been saving their best for this competition and after a solid point away at Tottenham on Saturday they will look to get their second away win of the season after beating Club Brugge on Matchday 1.
I think the champions of England will be too much for the champions of Denmark and will make it a perfect four wins from four outings. An away win for me and their ticket to the Round of 16 will be signed, sealed and delivered. Next up group supremacy.