Leicester City: Jamie Vardy to feature in clash with Barcelona
By Jake Cursley
Premier League champions Leicester City are set to face 4 time Champions League winners Barcelona in Stockholm tonight.
Jamie Vardy, who scored 24 goals in 36 games last season for Leicester City could be set to play against Barcelona in the Friends Arena.
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This will be the striker’s first appearance for Leicester City since lifting the trophy in May having missed their first two pre-season games, recovering from a wrist surgery after wearing a cast for the majority of his title winning season.
Vardy will be keen to gain match fitness ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Manchester United, which will be Leicester City’s first chance to get their hands on silverware this season.
Speaking to Foxes Player yesterday, Vardy had to say “”Obviously when the cast comes off we’ll see how much it’s healed, or it might have healed completely,”
Vardy looks hopeful for a return before the start of the season, ready to kick on in the form he was in last season.
If he is not fit by the time the fixture comes around, summer signing Ahmed Musa may be called upon to lead the line after speculation over Ulloa’s future at the club has risen with Swansea looking to make a bid for the Argentinian.
Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri is optimistic on the dawn of the friendly between the two champion sides.
With Barcelona’s possession based style of play and Leicester City’s counter-attacking style, we’ll see an interesting match up where both teams play into each other’s hands.
On Monday, Ranieri said “I know that against us, Barcelona will have the ball and you can’t keep possession, because that’s not our quality”
He went onto say “We can stay together with proper discipline and running.”
After losing to PSG in LA on Sunday Leicester City will be looking for a win to boost morale. However a defeat to Barcelona is nothing to be ashamed of, especially in a pre-season friendly.
Ranieri will be looking for his new signings to gel rather than a result, should Leicester play well and lose 2 – 0 I’m sure both Ranieri and Leicester fans alike will understand and take the result in a positive manner.