English champions Leicester City will travel to the Vicente Calderon as they gear up to take on Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Foxes are the only team from England still alive in the competition and despite their struggles in the domestic competitions, they have been making waves on the continental stage. Having made it to the final eight with a hard-fought 3-2 aggregate win over Spanish club Sevilla, manager Craig Shakespeare will be hoping that his team pull off an upset.
Leicester tasted their first defeat in all competitions under Shakespeare this weekend when they were thumped 4-2 by Everton and the team will be keen to shrug that loss off and make a statement in the Champions League.
Shakespeare will not be able to call upon midfielder Nampalys Mendy who is still yet to reach full fitness after suffering an ankle injury last month while captain Wes Morgan will be assessed before the match to determine if he is able to feature. Molla Wague has been ruled out for the season.
Here is how Leicester City will line up against Atletico:
Has been the hero for Leicester in the Champions League with some majestic performances between the sticks. Sure starter against the Los Rojiblancos.
The former Newcastle United man has been a consistent performer for the Foxes week in week out. However, he will be facing a huge test going up against the likes of Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
Has been a stalwart at the back for Leicester in the past two years. With Wes Morgan doubtful, he will have to take up the mantle of leading the backline.
The 30-year old has been deputising for Morgan and has been fairly solid in recent weeks. But going head to head against the likes of Kevin Gameiro and Antoine Griezmann would be a different prospect altogether and he’ll have to be on his toes.
Completing the backline will be 31-year old Christian Fuchs. Another solid and consistent performer for the Foxes, he is one of the first names on the teamsheet.
On the right-side of the midfield, Algerian international Riyad Mahrez will take his rightful place. The 26-year old hasn’t had a spectacular season, but has been improving in recent weeks. Will be Leicester’s main creative threat.
The Englishman is the linchpin in the Leicester midfield, pulling the strings from the centre of the pitch. He will have a huge role to play if Leicester are to unlock the Atletico defence.
Alongside Drinkwater, it will be 20-year old Wilfred Ndidi. The Nigerian has become a mainstay in the midfield for Leicester in recent weeks. He will start the game again.
The 27-year old has been splendid in the past two games for Leicester. He will take the field against Atletico, which would mean Demarai Gray missing out on the game.
The Algerian international has scored in his last two appearances for the Foxes and his physicality would help against a solid Atletico backline.
And partnering Slimani in attack will be Jamie Vardy. The Englishman has found his goalscoring boots again after a poor start to the season. He will be hoping to make a serious impact in Spain.
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