LEICESTER CITY VS FC KOBENHAVN – The Lions set to stop the Foxes perfect start
By: Timothy Dehinbo
Group G’s two unbeaten teams face off on matchday three as Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City look to maintain their 100% winning start against second-placed København.
Leicester City FC will look to continue their 100% winning start in Group G when they host FC København on matchday three.
The Premier League title holders have begun their campaign with back-to-back wins against Club Brugge KV ( 3-0 away) and FC Porto ( 1-0 home), becoming the first English club to win their first two games in the competition.
Claudio Ranieri’s men are one of only four teams with maximum points after two matches and one of four teams yet to concede a goal. They are the only team that has done both. Leicester are facing Danish opposition for the first time.
København are on an eight-match unbeaten run in this season’s UEFA Champions League, having begun their campaign in Belfast on 13 July with a 3-0 second qualifying round win at Crusaders FC.
The Danish champions sit second in Group G with four points having drawn at Porto ( 1-1) and beaten Club Brugge ( 4-0), raising hopes of repeating their 2010/11 performance when they reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16. FCK have never won in England (D2 L2). Their most recent visit was for a 0-0 draw at Chelsea FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League round of 16 (aggregate 0-2).
In Ståle Solbakken’s first spell as coach they earned their only victory over a Premier League opposition in eight previous attempts 1-0 at home against Manchester United FC in the 2006/07 group stage.
Leicester have conceded three or more goals in a game on four occasions in 2016/17; in contrast, last season they conceded more than twice in a match only once. The Foxes have lost four of their eight Premier League fixtures this season, one more defeat than they suffered in their title-winning campaign last term. Okazaki (ankle) and Danny Drinkwater (groin) have been carrying injuries, but the latter played in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea FC. Return of these players is a boost.
Leicester have lost just two of their last 22 home games in all competitions, winning 13 and drawing seven. They have gone a whole year unbeaten at home in the Premier League.Club record signing Slimani scored the only goal against Porto in Match Day 2.
For Kobenhavn, Greguš is available after serving a one-game ban following his dismissal on matchday one for FCK. København had scored in 22 successive league games before the goalless draw at Viborg FF on 2 October.
The club record, 23, was set in 2005. Federico Santander broke his cheekbone against Club Brugge on matchday two but made his return in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Silkeborg IF in the league.
FCK are unbeaten in their last 23 matches in all competitions a sequence dating back to 22 May.
København are unbeaten at home in the Superliga in 38 matches, stretching back to 15 August 2014.
This match looks a bit difficult to predict as no underdog and big gun.
PREDICTION:LEICESTER CITY 1-1 FC KOBENHAVN
