Match Preview: Leicester look to strengthen Champions League grasp against Copenhagen

The Foxes look to make it three wins out three in the Champions League on Tuesday and solidify their hold on Group G with a win over second-place Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday.

Leicester were able to power past Portugese giants FC Porto last time out in the Champions League for a massive 1-0 victory that could prove vital in the Foxes’ push to advance to the Round of 16. A win over the Danish Superliga champions would put the Foxes five points up on second in the group with three matches to go.

Watching the Foxes try to hoof it up field to nobody over the past two matches has been less than stellar. But if we’ve learned anything about Leicester this season, it’s that there’s nothing that will cure a case of the ‘Premier League Blues’ like a midweek Champions League clash. Manager Claudio Ranieri’s side have responded from horrendous showings in the league on three separate occasions already this season with three points in Europe.

One of the principle reasons this could be is that Leicester’s stars have began to take a back-seat to the Premier League, none more apparent than in Saturday’s 3-0 drubbing against Chelsea when both Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani came on as substitutes in the loss.

Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images

You can’t truly blame Ranieri, honestly, when the club is topping their group in Europe’s premier club competition. But the Foxes are having some serious problems in the league, and the fill-ins simply aren’t having the impact they need to. As Premier League champions, it’s hard to accept that defending your title is an after-thought, but the Foxes have bigger fish to fry. We roll on.

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel knew deep in his loins that the Foxes would draw Copenhagen in the group stages, and he’ll get his chance to face his boyhood club in front of the fans that have helped the Danish international make Leicester his second home. The headlines write themselves on that one. Some forget that midfielder Daniel Amartey was part of Copenhagen’s league title-winning side last season, and will play against teammates of old at the King Power.

The Foxes are all-in on the Champions League this season and could do wonders for their chances of advancing with a win. The Danish club are unbeaten in their last 23 matches, but have never won on English soil in their history. The King Power has been a fortress for the Foxes over the past season, so it’s safe to say one team will stray from their norm on Tuesday.

Prediction: Slimani header from a Mahrez cross, because what else could you expect? 2-0 Leicester.