Rodgers believes Foxes will enjoy a fairy-tale ending
BRENDAN RODGERS believes there are more chapters to write in Leicester’s story – starting with the Europa Conference League tonight in the homeland of Hans Christian Andersen.
Leicester have had a difficult season, with the glorious FA Cup win last May now just a distant memory.
Manager Rodgers has come under pressure despite that Wembley victory and two fifth-place finishes in the Premier League.
His side tackle Danish minnows Randers with a 4-1 advantage from the first leg of this play-off tie.
The competition is Leicester’s last shot at silverware this season and a possible gateway to Europe, which they may struggle to achieve with their Premier League place.
The Foxes are 11th in the table, without a win in five games, and Rodgers has suddenly found himself favourite with the bookies to lose his job.
But he insists that he wants to stick around, saying: “We need to keep writing chapters here at this football club.
“This season has, of course, been a challenge but you look at it logically and when you miss players our squad isn’t deep enough.
“That’s the reality of it – we don’t have the depth of quality like a lot of teams.
“We have to still be open to criticism if we don’t get the results but over the course of my time here the players have been great. We’ve achieved something and we’re very hungry to continue with that. I’m excited by it.
“Does it hurt? No. You are always open to criticism in this game if you are not getting results.
“What we have achieved over recent years has been fantastic.
“In the modern game your credit in the bank doesn’t last at all – I’m not sure if there is any at all now.”
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, below, says Leicester need to be ruthless and get the job done tonight. The Denmark No.1 is a national hero back home but says there is no room for sentiment, even though he has had to hand out a load of tickets. Schmeichel said: “It’s great for me because I haven’t had many opportunities to play in Denmark.
“I have had more ticket requests for this game than any other in the past few seasons. But this is our last chance of silverware and we have an opportunity to go far.
“Winning things is what you want, so getting the job done here is a good starting point.We have to go out thinking it’s 0-0 and take nothing for granted.”
RANDERS (probable): Carlgren; Kallesoe, H Andersson, Graves, Kopplin; Ankersen, Lauenborg, Johnsen, Kehinde; Odey, Hammershoy-Mistrati.
LEICESTER (probable): Schmeichel; Amartey, Soyuncu, Vestergaard, Thomas; Soumare, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall; Lookman, Daka, Iheanacho.