Leicester ready to add to success story
LONDON: England striker Jamie Vardy says Leicester City have no intention of treating the Champions League as a belated Premier League victory parade, and are ready to add another chapter to last season’s stunning success story.
The club travel to Belgium to take on Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium today in their opening group fixture, and Vardy says he wants the Foxes to make an impact on the competition, given that English clubs have struggled at Europe’s elite level in recent years.
“We definitely want to make a mark in this tournament,” the 29-year-old said. “We don’t just want to roll over and get beaten every time we play in the Champions League.”
Vardy said Champions League football would be another chance for the unheralded club from the East Midlands of England to prove themselves on the biggest stage, and that the players were determined to enjoy it.
Claudio Ranieri’s side have been placed in Group G alongside Porto, Copenhagen and Brugge, who have picked up just seven points from their opening six matches.
And despite remaining upbeat about his club’s chances, Vardy knows they will have their work cut out for them.
“I think every game in our group will be tough.
“It doesn’t matter who you are playing, they’ve qualified for a reason.”
Vardy’s goalscoring exploits fired Leicester to the club’s first English league title by 10 points last season, after netting 24 goals.
Leicester remain on four points from four matches after the club’s 4-1 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday, after what has been a lacklustre start to their 2016/17 Premier League campaign. – Reuters Belgian league