‘Tonight is set to be completely different’
TIELEMANS SAYS VILLA WILL BE CONFIDENT - BUT CITY ARE READY
LEICESTER City’s latest debutant Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is joining League One side Blackpool on loan until the end of the season,
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Jordan Blackwell.
The Under-23s skipper made his maiden first-team appearance in Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Brentford and will now get a further taste of senior football with the Seasiders, who are managed by former City defender Simon Grayson.
The 21-year-old midfielder, who grew up in Shepshed and has been in City’s academy since he was eight, is excited to get going.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a 72 hours,” he said. “On Saturday I made my debut for the first team in the FA Cup, then the next day I travelled here to get this loan deal sorted.
“I’m really excited to come here and get some games under my belt. Hopefully I can make a difference to the team and see where it takes us.”
Grayson said Dewsbury-Hall had been on his radar for some time.
“Kiernan is a player we’ve watched closely for a while now, so we’re delighted that we’ve been able to bring him in,” said the former City full-back.
“He’s very highly thought of at Leicester and I’d like to thank the club for allowing him to continue his development with us. He’ll be another terrific addition to the squad and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Dewsbury-Hall becomes the third City player on loan in League One, with Josh Knight at Peterborough and Daniel Iversen at Rotherham, and Brendan Rodgers said more young players could make shortterm switches before the transfer deadline on Friday.
“We have a number that need to go out on loan,” said the City boss.
“They’re at an age where they need first-team football.”
IT’S been just three weeks since the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal between Leicester City and Aston Villa, but midfielder Youri Tielemans is predicting a “totally different game” in the West Midlands tonight (7.45 kick-off).
At home, and after a last-minute winner in their previous outing a week ago against Watford, Tielemans expects Villa to be feeling more confident than they were at the King Power Stadium.
If that leads to a more expansive style of play, City will hope to take advantage of the space and put Dean Smith’s side to the sword.
For that, City need to hold their nerve in front of goal. Kelechi Iheanacho’s equaliser in the first leg was the only one of 21 efforts that found the net.
“It will be a totally different game,” Tielemans said. “When you play a semi-final, especially now it is the second leg and it has been a draw at our house, they will be very confident.
“They play at home with their supporters so they think they can do even better than what they did at our house, so it will be a very interesting game.
“We had a couple of chances in the first game and, in those kinds of games, especially a semi-final and maybe a final later, it’s all about making the most of the chances you get.
“You’ve got to stay calm in front of the goal and score the goals when you have to, so that’s the most important thing.”
Tielemans is one of the youngest members of the City squad but has plenty of experience of high-pressure matches, having played in European and World Cup knockout matches. He also scored in a Belgian Cup semi-final for Anderlecht back in 2015.
The 22-year-old knows the mental side of the game is vital.
“It’s a very important game for us, for the club, and for our season as well,” he added. “If you have the chance to go to a final, it’s very important to make sure that you are 100 per cent for that game. We are very excited. We are preparing well for the game, so we’ll see how it goes.
“It’s a semi-final, so you’re going to give everything mentally. Like you do every game, of course, you just have to play like you always do and try to build up our game.
“We’ll try to do our thing, don’t think about what’s around us. We just have to take it as a normal game, but just give everything and try to win the game.”
■ Leicester City will host a Midlands derby in the fifth round of the FA Cup after being drawn at home to Coventry or Birmingham.
City will welcome their visitors from the West Midlands during the week beginning Monday, March 2, with all last-16 ties played in midweek.
Brendan Rodgers’ side made it through to the fifth round with a 1-0 victory at Brentford, while Coventry and Birmingham drew 0-0 as the tenants ‘hosted’ the landlords at St Andrew’s. The pair’s replay is scheduled for next week.
The full fifth round draw is:
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City; Reading or Cardiff v Sheffield United; Chelsea v Shrewsbury or Liverpool; West Brom v Newcastle or Oxford; Leicester v Coventry or Birmingham; Northampton or Derby v Manchester United; Southampton or Tottenham v Norwich; Portsmouth v Bournemouth or Arsenal