Leicester City will be heading towards Vicente Calderon to keep their dream of progressing further in the Champions League intact. Leicester remains the only team from England to be in the last eight of the European competition and will be playing for their pride.
Leicester suffered a stuttering form under the tutelage of the previous manager Claudio Ranieri but since his departure, the Foxes have lost only a single match under Craig Shakespeare. He looked to be in firm control of the club as he guided his team through to the quarters of the Champions League after getting the better of Sevilla in the pre-quarters.
Leicester would try to grind out as much as possible with their limited resources against Atletico Madrid who have emerged as one of the leading clubs in Europe of late.
Diego Simeone has failed to win this competition twice and would go to any extent to bring this much-coveted trophy to Vicente Calderon which has eluded him for a long period. Simeone’s side will be fresh from their 1-1 draw with Real Madrid and will try to get into the groove as soon as the match kicks off.
Team News and Predicted Lineups
Leicester City
Shakespeare will have to cope without his main defender Wes Morgan. Morgan has been battling a back injury and is unlikely to feature. Yohan Benalouane has done a pretty decent job in his absence and he is expected to start. Shakespeare also has a selection headache as both Islam Slimani and Shinji Okazaki are ready to commit themselves although Slimani holds a little edge over his fellow players.
Schmeichel; Simpson, Benalouane, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Slimani, Vardy
Atletico Madrid
Kevin Gameiro is facing uncertainty and might not feature in this match.
Oblak; Juanfran, Godin, Savic, Filipe Luis; Carrasco, Saul Niguez, Gabi, Koke; Griezmann, Torres
Key Players
Leicester City
Riyad Mahrez
The Algerian is back to his best and has played a major role in Leicester’s revival of form. With his twist and turns, the Algerian could find the loopholes in the Atleti defence and it would be hard for the Spanish giants to stop his run. Mahrez’s return to form before this key fixture would definitely give Shakespeare a huge relief.
Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezman has been one of the most prolific attackers of Europe. The French international has been the main strength behind Atleti’s success. Griezmann’s pace and power would provide a stiff competition to the Leicester defence.
