The eyes of the Champions League turn to England for perhaps the last time this season, as Leicester City prepare to defend their dreams against Atlético Madrid while staring at a 1-0 aggregate deficit. That kind of situation demands a strong response from the Foxes, and to that end, Claudio Ranieri has named as strong a starting lineup as he can.
Leicester City vs. Atlético Madrid Champions League lineups: No surprises in England
There’s no real surprises in either team’s lineup as Leicester City get set to host Atlético Madrid in a tight Champions League tie.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
There’s a couple of absences in the Leicester side, but none of them come as a surprise. Robert Huth is suspended for this match, forcing Wes Morgan into the lineup after dealing with a back injury of late. Otherwise, we’re looking at the core of what Craig Shakespeare has used to drive Leicester’s recent successes, and arguably at their best possible chance of advancing to the semifinals.
Of course, we’re looking at an almost full-strength Atlético Madrid team, one with some extra defensive surety to it with Jose Gimenez stepping into midfield. Their only injury absences — fullback Sime Vrsaljko and midfielder Augusto Fernandez — are unlikely to have changed this lineup from Diego Simeone any, and Leicester are going to be in for an absolute brawl of a match that the Spanish side could easily find a way through given that this is the kind of environment they love.
Leicester City starting lineup (4-4-1-1): Kasper Schmeichel; Christian Fuchs, Yohan Benalouane, Wes Morgan, Danny Simpson; Marc Albrighton, Danny Drinkwater, Wilfred Ndidi, Riyad Mahrez; Shinji Okazaki; Jamie Vardy
Atlético Madrid starting lineup (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Filipe Luis, Diego Godin, Stefan Savic, Juanfran; Koke, Jose Gimenez, Gabi, Saul; Antoine Griezmann, Yannick Carrasco
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