Leicester City face Manchester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the Premier League returns to action following the international break.
The Foxes go into this one having won two of their opening three league games this season and face another tough opposition as the current league champions visit the East Midlands.
Brendan Rodgers spoke to BBC Radio Leicester…
Injury Update
The Foxes have been bombarded with injury problems over the past couple of seasons and the start of this campaign hasn’t started any differently.
Summer signing Ryan Bertrand hasn’t played a minute of Premier League football since signing for the Foxes as he tested positive for Covid-19 just before the league opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jonny Evans hasn’t played at all since limping off the field during the Foxes FA Cup win over Chelsea back in May with a hip injury.
Another summer signing, Jannik Vestergaard has missed the last two games against West Ham and Norwich after making his debut off the bench against Wolves. The Danish international suffered an injury in training.
Ricardo Pereira limped off in the win against Norwich with a pulled hamstring, whilst Wesley Fofana and James Justin are suffering long term injuries.
However, Rodgers has confirmed that both Bertrand and Ricardo are fit to start against Manchester City. Evans and Vestergaard are both being assessed ahead of the fixture.
Here is what Rodgers had to say regarding the injuries at the club: "Most players are back available now. James Justin and Wesley Fofana are the only two that are out at the moment."
"We’ve made a really solid start, with lots of players missing. The exciting part for me, is that, with players returning, the performance level will increase.”
On Ademola Lookman
Ademola Lookman was the Foxes' final signing of the transfer window arriving on a loan deal from German side RB Leipzig on deadline day.
The former England U21 international could make his debut against Manchester City and Rodgers spoke highly of his new signing and the competition he could have with fellow winger Harvey Barnes.
Rodgers said: "I wanted to take him to Celtic when he was at Charlton. I was aware of him when he was 15/16.”
“He has great dribbling ability, physically he’s good, works so hard, has an eye for a goal. My hope is that he can flourish here."
"He can play in a number of positions; he can play in behind the strikers or on the right.”
"Harvey is a different player, very fast and direct. Both prefer to play on the left but are very multi-functional."
Using Sports Psychologists
Rodgers spoke of how his players have been using sports psychologists and how important it is for players to have support from the club in an ever-changing world.
He said: "The mental side of the game is very important.
"There’s a big focus on the technical, tactical and physical side. But for some reason, there was a taboo about the mental side. Slowly that has gone away.
"We always provide that support for players, whether that’s in the club or outside. It’s about creating a holistic approach for a player. It speaks to wider society. There’s always been that feeling, particularly with men, it might have been a weakness to get help.
"The world is changing for the better, about having openness and communication. It’s important we can lift burdens in life – having that opportunity to speak always, always, makes you feel better."
The Opposition
Manchester City will no doubt be one of the favourites to retain their Premier League title and Rodgers knows how tough Saturday’s game will be.
He said: "They’ve got an incredible team, and the world’s best manager.”
He also spoke about how hard you must work against the Citizens and that you need a bit of luck along the way. He said: "You won’t get a huge amount of possession, so you have to have the confidence to play. You have to have full concentration; you need a bit of luck and you need to work incredibly hard."