Leicester v Southampton preview: Ranieri looks for consistency in the Premier League
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ByEurosport
Updated 01/10/2016 at 08:49 GMT
Get team news, match facts, quotes, odds and more ahead of the Premier League clash.
Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater speaks with Riyad Mahrez, Leonardo Ulloa and Andy King
Image credit: Reuters
Claudio Ranieri has urged his players to stay focussed in matches and work better as a team after a mixed start to the season.
Last year's league champions sit 12th in the Premier League having lost three of their opening six games, but they top their Champions League group after successive wins.
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Leicester City's Algerian striker Islam Slimani (L) scored the winning goal in their Champions League match against Porto
Image credit: AFP
"Now we're up and down. In the Premier League we play so-so, and Champions League we've been good so far, but I want consistency. There's no magic formula but it's important to maintain the same concentration [in games]," Ranieri told reporters on Friday.
"It's important for us to take confidence and make a good link with each other... everybody is doing a very good job but not together.
"I push a lot in this way and the players are important to stay together and play as a team. I hope to make some matches in a row with a clean sheet... When you have a clean sheet you increase your confidence, you stay solid and get better."
TEAM NEWS
Leicester: Nampalys Mendy could return after a month out with an ankle injury, meanwhile Marcin Wasilewski returns from suspension. Kasper Schmeichel will also be available after missing two league games with injury.
Southampton: Having rested Charlie Austin, Jose Fonte, Steven Davis and Ryan Bertrand for their Europa League game in the week, Claude Puel could recall those players for Southampton's trip to the King Power Stadium.
MANAGER QUOTES
Claudio Ranieri (Leicester): "They [Southampton] play very well and are very solid, move the ball well and are dangerous up front. At this moment they are fantastic."
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Claudio Ranieri - Leicester City manager - pointing and laughing
Image credit: Reuters
Claude Puel (Southampton): "It’s difficult. You just finish the game and our mind is now for the next game and it arrives very quickly. It’s very hard to do a good recovery after this game [against Be’er Sheva], after a long travel, a long journey, and we will see this. I don’t know what will be our condition but for the mind, for the confidence it was important this result and we don’t take a goal but we have a strong defence with a good spirit and a lot of solidarity between the players. Now we go to Leicester for a good result. Leicester will be two days more of recovery on the week and this is too big but we go to make something.”
MATCH BUZZ
MATCH FACTS
- Leicester have lost only one of their 10 home Premier League games against the Saints, winning seven (D2).
- The Saints have only kept one clean sheet in their last 15 top-flight trips to Leicester, doing so in a 4-0 win in December 2001.
- The Foxes’ haul of seven home Premier League wins against Southampton is their most against an opponent in the competition.
- Southampton have only won one of their seven league trips to the King Power Stadium, claiming a 2-1 victory in December 2007 – they have lost two and drawn one of three Premier League visits.
- Leicester have lost three of their six Premier League games this season (W2 D1), as many as they lost in their previous 42 in the competition (W26 D13).
- This is the third time in the last four seasons that the defending champions have had seven points after six games (also Man Utd 13-14 and Chelsea 15-16). Only Blackburn in 1995/96 have collected fewer points from six games as a reigning Premier League champions (4).
- The average finishing position in the Premier League era for a team with Leicester’s total of seven points from six games is 12th.
- Southampton have gone three hours without conceding in the Premier League.
- Since scoring in a Premier League record 11 consecutive games, Jamie Vardy has scored in only nine of 28 appearances (12 goals).
- Charlie Austin will be trying to score in three successive Premier League appearances for the first time since Boxing Day 2014.
BOOKIES' ODDS
Leicester: 5/4 Draw: 12/5 Southampton: 5/2
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