adminLeicester City fans have been given a stark warning ahead of their crucial clash with Preston North End, with Foxes boss Gary Rowett openly admitting the challenges his side will face.
The Lilywhites picked up a much-needed victory last time out, coming from behind to beat Stoke City 3-1 at Deepdale. That win ended a barren run of just one victory in 12 games, lifting Preston back up to 13th in the Championship table.
With seven games left in the season, Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be eager to push for a strong finish.
Leicester, meanwhile, find themselves in a relegation battle after a six-point deduction. Gary Rowett has overseen one win, four draws, and two defeats since taking charge, including a goalless draw at Watford in their last outing.
Both managers will be hoping their international players return healthy, with media duties scheduled for next week ahead of Friday’s clash.
In terms of squad fitness, Leicester should see the return of Jannik Vestergaard and Aaron Ramsey. Vestergaard has been sidelined since January due to a hernia, while Ramsey last featured on December 29. Long-term absentee Harry Souttar is unlikely to feature.
> “We’ve got two weeks with a lot of the players not here. That’s the challenge. Then, it’s a Friday game and a lot of the players will come back on the Thursday, which adds to the challenge. Sometimes that international break, the thought process of being able to work with your squad, it’s actually completely the opposite.
> “It’s probably the worst period of time because you don’t get to work with your squad. The players who are left will get a chance to train well. We’ll get a chance to improve one or two things.
We’ll get extra fitness work into the ones who haven’t played. There are a few injured players hopefully back as well to bolster what we can do, so I can’t complain.”
Rowett also spoke about facing Preston North End, praising Heckingbottom’s tactics while highlighting the test ahead:
> “I know Paul [Heckingbottom] pretty well and he will have them really well drilled. They play a slightly different system to our recent teams so it’s a good challenge. It’s up to us to break them down and solve that problem. But we’re against a hard working team that can get the results.”
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