Monday Night

KING POWER STADIUM, KICK-OFF 8pm – LIVE ON SKY SPORTS MAIN EVENT

BRENDAN RODGERS hopes the prospect of Champions League football will allow him to make the changes that are required to the Leicester squad this summer. Despite a patchy start to 2020, the Foxes remain on track for a top-four finish. Going into tonight’s clash with struggling Aston Villa, Rodgers’ men are third in the table with a two-point cushion to fourthplaced Chelsea. Yet the loss of Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi at key moments since the turn of the year has shown Rodgers that he will need a deeper squad to further compete next term. He said: ‘Each year you want to improve. We’re working virtually with a similar squad by the end of the season for near on 18 months. ‘That sort of plan (for summer transfers) is underway. I think the key now is to finish the job and give everything to get to where we want to be at the end of the season, and then we can look at that.’ Ndidi is available again after knee trouble, while

Rodgers hopes Vardy will be involved tonight against Dean Smith’s side after missing the last two games with a calf injury. Leicester are aiming to complete a league double over Villa after winning 4-1 away from home earlier in the campaign, though Villa ended Leicester’s Carabao Cup hopes with a 3-2 aggregate victory in the semi-finals. The duel between Leicester’s James Maddison (below) and Villa’s Jack Grealish will be an intriguing sub-plot as the two playmakers strive for a place in England’s Euro 2020 squad. Rodgers again praised Maddison despite a loss of form in recent games. ‘I think he’s still one of the most creative players for us,’ said the 47-year-old manager. ‘He’s played at a really high level for most of this season. ‘He’s been 8 or 9 out of 10 virtually every game. If he’s dipped below that, it’s what happens sometimes.’