Belgium’s selection of Praet plays into City’s hands ahead of clash
CITY MIDFIELDER SCORES FIRST INTERNATIONAL GOAL IN BELARUS THRASHING
DENNIS Praet struck his first international goal as Belgium’s team selection played into Leicester City’s hands ahead of their clash with Manchester City on Saturday.
Praet found the bottom corner from 20 yards to score the fifth goal of an 8-0 rout, the No.1 ranked nation showing off their quality against Belarus.
The midfielder also picked up an assist at the home of City’s sister club OH Leuven, which is also Praet’s hometown.
While Brendan Rodgers and his fellow Premier League managers might like to see their players wrapped in cotton wool over an international break, the City boss will have been pleased with Praet’s 70-minute run-out.
Having been on the sidelines for more than two months, the 26-yearold needed games in his legs, and he should now be in better shape ahead of this weekend’s meeting with the Premier League leaders.
Belgium’s selection also benefitted City in that Youri Tielemans, who has played more football than any other Leicester player this season, was given a rest, only playing the final 20 minutes of the 8-0 thrashing.
Having played 90 minutes in Belgium’s other two World Cup qualifiers this international break, City may be pleased the influential midfielder has not been pushed too hard.
Timothy Castagne was also given a break, remaining as an unused substitute against Belarus.
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, Danny Ward kept a clean sheet for Wales as they secured a potentially crucial 1-0 victory over Czech Republic.
But Caglar Soyuncu and Turkey could not keep up their 100 per cent start to World Cup qualifying, giving up a 3-1 lead to draw with Latvia in what was the centre-back’s third outing in seven days. In Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, City trio Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Papy Mendy are all safely through to the finals of the tournament at the start of next year.
Ndidi and Iheanacho helped Nigeria beat Lesotho 3-0, the latter unable to continue his scoring streak but grabbing an assist in the comfortable victory.
Mendy, meanwhile, earned his second Senegal cap in a 1-1 draw with Eswatini. Three City players were due to be in action last night as the internationals concluded.
Jonny Evans and Northern Ireland hosted Bulgaria, while Kasper Schmeichel and Denmark travelled to Austria, both of those games in
World Cup qualifying. Wesley Fofana and the France Under-21s needed to beat their counterparts from Iceland to secure their spot in the knockout stages of the European Under-21 Championships this summer.