Triple boost as players poised to make return
RICARDO, NDIDI AND SOYUNCU MAY PLAY IN EUROPA LEAGUE MATCH
THREE Leicester City first-team stars will make a simultaneous return this week – but they will not be fit in time to face Fulham tonight.
Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi, and Caglar Soyuncu will all make their long-awaited comebacks in the Europa League against Zorya Luhansk on Thursday.
After knee surgery in March, Ricardo made his first outing in blue in more than eight months last week when he turned out for the Under23s.
Ndidi and Soyuncu, meanwhile, have been out since the early weeks of this season with adductor issues.
But Rodgers has said the trio will be in contention when the squad head to Ukraine later this week.
The boss has also suggested Timothy Castagne, out for four weeks with a hamstring issue, will not be back in time to face the Cottagers, Rodgers saying it will be the same squad that earned a last-gasp draw in Braga.
“It will be the same squad,” he said. “Some of the other boys are training.
“We’ve got the likes of Ricardo, Wilf and Caglar, we’re hopeful of getting them some game-time in Luhansk when we go there for our next European venture.
“That’s great news for us, coming into a busy period, but otherwise we’re pretty much the same squad.”
City have so far followed up all of their European games with victories, beating Arsenal, Leeds and Wolves, and will hope to do the same against Fulham.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been critical of the scheduling for Premier League clubs in Europe, but it’s not an issue for Rodgers, even as he prepares his club for the busiest month of the season.
“It’ll be no different in that period really, in terms of lots of games,” he said. “In that month, you’re having up to eight, nine games. The games close together will be a tough ask, but the players have been outstanding. They knew that this was coming at the start of the season.
“You have to be ready every day. You have to recover well. We were going to have to adapt with European football.
“We’re enjoying the European experience and then knowing we’ve got to come back and be right on it physically and mentally.
“The players up to this point have shown they’re coping with that.
“You’ve got to retain that humility, just because you’ve qualified for Europe, that you’re next game you can be anything less than 100 per cent.”