Leicester v Atalanta Preview! – By Simon Mack.

Leicester City vs Atalanta

Friday 2^nd August  2019 19:30

King Power Stadium

The Foxes play host to Atalanta Friday night in the major warm up game ahead of the 2019/20 Premier League season.

The Italian outfit finished an impressive 3^rd in Serie A last season and have Champions League football to look forward to next season for the first time in their 111 year history.

The club hail from Bergamo in northern Italy not too far from the giants of Milan, and their form last season must have impressed their chic neighbours.

‘La Dea’ are on a pre-season tour of the UK currently, and handed Norwich City a lesson on Tuesday inflicting a 4-1 defeat on The Canaries with Columbian International  striker Luis Muriel netting twice for the Italians.

Other players of note within their ranks are former Middlesbrough midfielder Marten De Roon who has played over 120 times in the striped blue & black. Duvan Zapata is another Columbian and Atalanta’s top scorer last term with 23 goals and has proved his potency at the highest level.

Foxes fans will be hopeful of centre back Harry Maguire playing some part in this match. The media have been over eager to whip up a frenzy around the England internationals supposed transfer to Manchester United, but Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has played down the talk and has been quick to commend the big defenders professionalism amidst the rumour frenzy.

City’s new £40 million acquisition Youri Tielemens has been hugely impressive so far in pre-season, and this will be a first look at the young Belgian star at home this term after a hugely successful 6 month spell on loan with the foxes last term.

Leicester’s other major signing Ayoze Perez will also have the chance to take his first steps in anger at his new home, and foxes supporters will be hoping to see some flashes of skill and potency in front of goal that will confirm we have a credible threat if Jamie Vardy isn’t available. Fellow Striker Kelechi Iheanacho’s pre-season has been a mixed bag to date with his boss making a heartfelt plea to fans to cut him some slack. But the jury is out on the Nigerian’s future prospects at King Power Stadium, and the fans will be looking for reassurance early on from the former Manchester City prospect.

Leicester’s midfield is now cram packed with talent and it will be intriguing to see if Rodgers gives any hint as to how he is going to use the considerable abilities within his armoury to best effect in the starting 11 for the season to come.

It’s been a summer to date with an emphasis on keeping what we have as an equal importance to adding new faces, and as the season to come now looms just around the corner a stiffer test against Italy’s big success story of the 18/19 Scudetto hunt should provide a decent barometer to the foxes fortunes in the coming campaign.