FOXES WON’T MAKE A FUSS OVER DEFOE

LEICESTER boss Craig Shakespeare has not made any special plans to cope with the threat of Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe.

The Black Cats take their fading fight for Premier League survival to the King Power Stadium t onight, hoping to make inroads on the eight-point gap between themselves and safety.

Defoe has scored 14 league goals in a struggling side this season and i s seen as pivotal to any hopes Sunderland may have of avoiding the drop.

Shakespeare acknowledges the threat posed by the 34-year-old, but he will not afford any special treatment to the player who scored the winning goal in the reverse fixture in December.

“We have spoken about Jermain Defoe in our preparation and we know what kind of threat he can be. His record speaks for itself. But we won’t man-mark him,” he said.

“I was pleased to see him back in the England squad and he took his goal really well. Any team that has Jermain Defoe in it will be dangerous and we must keep him quiet.

“But he is not the only dangerous player Sunderland have — they showed what they can do by winning 4-0 at Crystal Palace a few weeks ago.

“We’ve been in the same situation as Sunderland, down there fighting for your lives when the games are starting to run out. It will be a close game again, I think, and we respect Sunderland.”