Leicester City has their sights set on a Premier League crown. The title race is heating up and the team continues to hover at the top of the standings. A few roster moves have given the team added confidence as they prepare for another set of matches. The first comes Tuesday as Liverpool understands their next few matches will determine a lot for the club.
Leicester acquired Daniel Amartey to be the x-factor that keeps the team's title hopes alive. He joins the club from FC Copenhagen while being a member of Ghana national team. Claudio Ranieri told the media that they plan to play Amartey at central midfield while hoping he can also help as a center back for right back on the field. At just 21, Amartey brings youth and athleticism to the Leicester squad which they desperately needed in terms of depth.
"He is young, experienced and a good player. I could use in any of those positions. I don't know the name here but in Italy we say he is a joker - you can put him in every position," Ranieri said, via ESPNFC.com.
Heading into the match against Liverpool, Amartey is not expected to be on the field, but that might not matter considering they are relatively injury free at the moment. Jeff Schlupp and Matty James are dealing with a few issues, but should be available if need be.
While Leicester is thinking Premier League title, Liverpool is trying to stay alive in the top four. According to manager Jurgen Klopp, the next three matches will go a long way in determining the outlook of the remainder of the season. Leicester will be the biggest match of the bunch as they go on to play Sunderland and Aston Villa while being eight points out of fourth place. There is still a chance they qualify for Champions League play, but they cannot afford to drop a match in the meantime.
"We have an away game at Leicester and these three games will give a little sign as to where we can go in this season," Klopp said, via ESPNFC.com. "Even after these games it is not over. I think we have showed a row of more than okay performances so you can say we have a little bit more consistency even when we have made a lot of changes."
Liverpool does have injury concerns. Divock Origi, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho remain out, but they are expected to return to training news week. That could help the late push for Liverpool. Klopp stressed that once everyone was fit, they would all be inserted back onto the pitch.
