GAME OF THROWS
Rocket-launchers from Fuchs will be the Foxes secret weapon to shock Atletico in massive Euro showdown
DANNY DRINKWATER insists Leicester have the “weapon” to stun Atletico Madrid and continue their Champions League fairytale.
The Foxes fired a blank in the first leg in Spain as Antoine Griezmann’s penalty earned Atletico a 1-0 first leg win in their quarter-final.
Leicester came from behind to beat Sevilla last time out and Drinkwater is confident they can continue their quest for glory, aided by Christian Fuchs’ rocket-launcher of a throw. The Austrian’s missiles caused chaos among the Crystal Palace defence as Robert Huth got on the end of one to open the scoring in this entertaining draw.
Leicester have scored more goals and created more chances than any of their rivals via long throws, and Drinkwater is hoping Fuchs can provide the ammunition for them to make more history at the King Power tomorrow.
He said: “It’s a weapon. it can sometimes be more accurate than a corner.
“We’ve scored a few goals from it and we’ll carry on using it.
“I can’t remember having too many in the first leg. It might be something they’re not used to so we can use in our favour.” Palace right-back Joel Ward admitted: “They are difficult to deal with. You need to get the first contact on it and clear your lines.
“It was poor on our part, we should have dealt with it. It was something we had looked at before the game.”
Drinkwater insists Leicester go into the game full of confidence, despite surrendering a two-goal lead – and being without Huth, who is suspended. The England midfielder says the Foxes can take heart from their battling display in Madrid and will have the support of the nation as they continue to fly the flag in Europe’s elite club competition. He added: “The result from Madrid has given us a bit of confidence and as it’s 1-0, we’ve still got a chance.
“I can’t wait, everyone can’t. It’s a big chance for us and it’s a massive stage and I’m sure it’s going to be one of those games you’ll remember when your career is over.
“We use what we’ve got at our home ground to our advantage. We know what they’re capable of as a crowd – it can be daunting for the away teams definitely. “They’re a good team, but we’ll work on what we have to get the game won and hopefully get into the semifinal.” Craig Shakespeare’s side were forced to settle for a point after Yohan Cabaye and Christian Benteke cancelled out goals from Huth and Jamie Vardy as Palace battle back to claim a deserved point.
The draw boosted the Eagles’ survival hopes as they climbed further away from danger, but Ward insists there’s still work to be done.
He added: “We’re moving in the right direction and want to carry on our run.
“We want to continue looking up the table and picking up points. We don’t want to see it as we are safe.
“You want to try and get as many points as you can.
“Yes, they say that the 40point mark is what you need for survival, but we’ve got to take it a game at a time. We can’t rest on our laurels.”