Spartak won’t know what’s going to hit them – Daka
STRIKER WARNS EUROPA LEAGUE RIVALS WILL BE TAKING A RISK IF THEY GIVE HIM SPECIAL ATTENTION
SPARTAK Moscow will be taking a risk if they give special attention to Patson Daka, the Leicester City striker has warned, writes Jordan Blackwell. past them in last month’s Europa League meeting.
The Zambian striker is expecting to be more tightly marked after his heroics in the Russian capital, but has told Spartak that if they do concentrate on him, they need to be prepared for other players to do damage.
“I’m sure their focus and attention is on me, but it’s also think it’s a great opportunity for other players in the team,” Daka said yesterday afternoon.
“If they concentrate on me, they are going to leave other players free.
“Anyone in our team can hurt them, so they won’t know what is going to hit them.”
It was an assessment backed by his manager Brendan Rodgers.
He said: “When you have a special individual performance like that, it makes the opposition more aware and attentive if you’re on the field.
“But it’s always about the team.
“If you look at Patson’s goals they came from some great bits of play, midfield players connecting the play well, Kels making a run.
“It’s that little bit of everything in the team that allows the player to get the opportunities.
“But then you have to have that real quality to finish them and that’s what Patson did, all of his chances he took ever so well. You see he’s a natural goalscorer.
“If he starts and plays the game, we’d love him to get another four goals.
“If he contributes like he did without the ball and with the ball, I’ll be happy.”
City sat bottom of Group C after two fixtures but with a win over Spartak they will move into the top two in the pool, boosting their chances of qualification to the knockout stages.
Daka says there is a determination in the squad to prove they are contenders in the competition, and not simply there to make up the numbers.
“We cannot afford to lose any game,” the 23-year-old said.
“We are playing at home in front of our fans, and they’ve got huge expectations for us.
“It’s a very big moment for us as a club.
“We need to make sure we give our best.
“This game is very important for us. We all know what it means for us.
“We don’t just want to be participants in this Europa League, we want to show how competent we are and how much it means for us to be in this competition.
“We are going to show that we’re not just satisfied with being here.
“We want to go far. We’ll push and make sure we get maximum points.”