Premier League champions Leicester City will take on a high-flying Chelsea in the third round of League Cup 2016-17, rechristened as the EFL Cup. The two sides clash swords for the first time this football season at the King Power Stadium in Leicester on Tuesday.
Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League with three wins, one defeat and a draw, while the Foxes didn't have an impressive start to their season. Claudio Ranieri's side are 11th at the moment with two wins, two defeats and a draw.
Too late already for Leicester? Not really. Even if they do miss retaining the English league title this season, they can still stay in contention to go all the way in the League Cup, the FA Cup and also possibly the UEFA Champions League, which does seem a bit difficult, however.
The game therefore is of prime importance for Ranieri, who has plied his managerial trade against Chelsea manager Antonio Conte when they were in Italy. "He [Conte] is a winner, but of course he needs time. The reality here is different than in Italy and his job is bigger now. But he is right and I think he can lift some trophies," said Ranieri ahead of the match.
"You need to understand the league and your players. The players must understand him and how he manages and how he changes, what he wants. I watch a good Chelsea so far," he added.
The match also marks the return of former Leicester star midfielder N'Golo Kante to the King Power Stadium. The Frenchman moved to the Stamford Bridge this summer in a £32 million move.
"I will be very happy if our fans clap him [Kante] at the beginning and afterwards," Ranieri said. "Kante was very important for us and I think he was even more important for us than at Chelsea because Chelsea have so many big players," he added.
Sidelined: John Terry, Kurt Zouma (both Chelsea) and Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City).
Schedule
Leicester vs Chelsea is scheduled to kick off at 7.45 pm BST (12.15 am IST [Wednesday], 2.45 pm EST) on Sept. 20.
Where to watch live
INDIA: TV: Ten 2, Ten 1 HD. Live streaming: Ten Sports live.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD, Now TV. Live streaming: Sky Go. Radio commentary: BBC Radio 5 Live.
USA: TV: beIN Sports, fubo TV. Live streaming: beIN Sports Connect.
