Leicester and FCK lock horns in Group G
Monday, October 10, 2016
Article summary
Group G's two unbeaten teams face off on matchday three when Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City look to maintain their 100% winning start against second-placed København.
Article top media content
Article body
Leicester City FC will look to continue their 100% winning start in Group G when they host FC København on matchday three.
Match background
Leicester
• The Premier League title holders have begun their campaign with back-to-back wins against Club Brugge KV (3-0 away) and FC Porto (1-0 home), becoming the first English club to win their first two games in the competition.
• Claudio Ranieri's men are one of only four teams with maximum points after two matches – and one of four teams yet to concede a goal. They and Atlético are the only teams that have done both.
• Leicester are facing Danish opposition for the first time.
København
• København are on an eight-match unbeaten run in this season's UEFA Champions League, having begun their campaign in Belfast on 13 July with a 3-0 second qualifying round win at Crusaders FC.
• The Danish champions sit second in Group G with four points having drawn at Porto (1-1) and beaten Club Brugge (4-0), raising hopes of repeating their 2010/11 performance when they reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
• FCK have never won in England (D2 L2). Their most recent visit was for a 0-0 draw at Chelsea FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League round of 16 (aggregate 0-2).
• In Ståle Solbakken's first spell as coach they earned their only victory over Premier League opposition in eight previous attempts – 1-0 at home against Manchester United FC in the 2006/07 group stage.
Coach and player links:
• Solbakken was Wolverhampton Wanderers FC manager for six months (July 2012–January 2013). As a player he had a short spell at Wimbledon FC in 1997/98 (six appearances, one goal).
• Daniel Amartey was a København player from June 2014 until January 2016. He made 43 Super League appearances for FCK and another 12 in European competition.
• Jores Okore spent three seasons at Aston Villa FC from 2013 to 2016, making 38 Premier League appearances.
• Andreas Cornelius had a seven-month stay at Cardiff City FC in 2013/14. He made eight substitute appearances in the Premier League and started three games in the domestic cup competitions before rejoining FCK.
• Also played in England:
Stephan Andersen (Charlton Athletic FC, 2004–07)
William Kvist (Fulham FC, loan 2014; Wigan Athletic FC 2014–15)
Ján Greguš (Bolton Wanderers FC, loan 2013 – no appearances)
• Shinji Okazaki scored Japan's third goal in a 3-1 victory over Denmark in the group stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup – a result which eliminated the Danes.
• Okazaki played for VfB Stuttgart against FCK in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage (0-0 h, 2-0 a).
• Ján Greguš played for Slovakia in their 1-0 defeat by England in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Trnava in September. Jamie Vardy and Danny Drinkwater watched from the England substitutes' bench.
• Played together in club football:
Shinji Okazaki & William Kvist (VfB Stuttgart 2011–13)
Marc Albrighton & Jores Okore (Aston Villa 2013–14)
• Played together in international football:
Kasper Schmeichel & Peter Ankersen, Stephan Andersen, Nicolai Boilesen, Andreas Cornelius, Thomas Delaney, Rasmus Falk, Mathias Zanka Jørgensen, Kasper Kusk, William Kvist, Jores Okore (Denmark).
Match facts
Leicester
• Islam Slimani is a yellow card away from a one-match ban.
• Leicester have conceded three or more goals in a game on four occasions in 2016/17; in contrast, last season they conceded more than twice in a match only once.
• The Foxes have lost four of their eight Premier League fixtures this season, one more defeat than they suffered in their title-winning campaign last term.
• Okazaki (ankle) and Danny Drinkwater (groin) have been carrying injuries, but the latter played in Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Chelsea FC. Nampalys Mendy is out after undergoing ankle surgery.
• Leicester have lost just two of their last 22 home games in all competitions, winning 13 and drawing seven. They have gone a whole year unbeaten at home in the Premier League.
• Club record signing Slimani scored twice on his Premier League debut as the Foxes defeated Burnley FC 3-0 at home on 17 September.
• Andy King won his 39th cap as a Leicester player in Wales' 1-1 draw with Georgia on 9 October, equalling the club record of John O'Neill (39 appearances for Northern Ireland).
• Demarai Gray scored the only goal as England won in Kazakhstan on 7 October, booking their place in the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
København
• Greguš is available after serving a one-game ban following his dismissal on matchday one.
• København had scored in 22 successive league games before the goalless draw at Viborg FF on 2 October. The club record, 23, was set in 2005.
• Federico Santander broke his cheekbone against Club Brugge on matchday two but made his return in Saturday's 2-0 win against Silkeborg IF.
• FCK are unbeaten in their last 23 matches in all competitions – a sequence dating back to 22 May.
• Mathias Zanka Jørgensen and Erik Johansson are unbeaten (W20 D10) when playing together since Johansson joined from KAA Gent in January.
• København are unbeaten at home in the Superliga in 38 matches, stretching back to 15 August 2014.
• Kasper Kusk had not started a game since 20 August until the Silkeborg win, but is still FCK's joint-top scorer in the domestic league with four goals this season.