Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
YOURI THE EURO KING
Tielemans must conquer Moscow now
DAVE ARMITAGE LEICESTER manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed midfield star Youri Tielemans as one of Europe’s finest as he goes in search of Europa League glory.
The £70million-rated Belgian international has been linked with summer moves to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Rodgers shuts out all speculation as he urges Tielemans to try and rescue their Europa League hopes against Spartak Moscow in Russia tonight.
The Foxes, bottom of Group C with just one point, are desperate not to get cut adrift after such a lukewarm start.
Spartak might have really muddied the waters with their shock 3-2 win in Napoli, but it is at home where the Russian side have been really vulnerable – having lost eight of their 11 Europa League matches played in Moscow.
Tielemans starred and scored in the 4-2 win over Manchester United on Saturday and Rodgers said: “Youri is an outstanding player – one of Europe’s top midfield players.
“He’s integral to our game and is a joy to work with. He’s superprofessional with a focus and mentality that is just great to see.”
The King Power boss knows anything less than victory is going to make automatic qualification nigh-on impossible.
Rodgers said: “Spartak are a dynamic side and this will be a tough game.
“To go to Napoli and win says everything. That showed they have a lot of quality.
“We want to go as far as we can. This is a big, big game for us. If we want to go further then this is a game which is going to be very important.”
It is a point not lost on defender Ricardo Pereira, who said: “After the return we have got from two games, we can’t afford to hang around anymore.
“Normally 10 points is the rough target.
“We need to go out there to play our best, take three points from the game and see where that takes us.”
Rodgers said Leicester will make a late call on defender Jonny Evans, who has been struggling with a foot injury.
The only definite absentee is Ayoze Perez, who was feeling unwell and stayed at home.
Rodgers will come up against former Chelsea star Victor Moses (left), saying: “He’s a fantastic player. I had him on loan when I was at Liverpool.
“He’s a great professional. I’ve followed his career and I’m delighted to see him out here. We will have to keep an eye on Victor for sure.”