adminLeicester City head into a crucial clash with Preston North End knowing it will be a tough test for both sides. The Lilywhites picked up a morale-boosting 3-1 victory over Stoke City last time out, their first in 12 games, moving back up to 13th in the Championship table.
With seven games left in the season, Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be targeting a strong finish.
The Foxes, meanwhile, are battling to stay clear of relegation 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 before Friday’s must-win clash.
In terms of squad fitness, Jannik Vestergaard and Aaron Ramsey could be back in contention. Vestergaard has been out since January due to a hernia, while Ramsey last featured on December 29. Long-term absentee Harry Souttar is unlikely to feature.
It’s here that Rowett’s words will have Leicester fans sitting up straight. The Foxes boss didn’t mince words about the difficulties created by having so many players away on international duty:
> “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.”
> “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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