PREM: Leicester City v Liverpool preview

Leicester City v Liverpool preview

Leicester's Jamie Vardy will sit out the last game of his three-match ban as Liverpool visit the King Power Stadium.

The 31-year-old striker was sent off for a late tackle in Leicester's 2-0 win over Wolves a fortnight ago, and with Riyad Mahrez having departed for Manchester City in the summer, the Foxes' two main sources of goals for last season will both be missing when the Reds arrive for their 12.30pm kick-off.

Vardy has also stepped down from England duty this week, something Claude Puel has given his backing to, as it will also give the former non-league forward more time with his young family.

"We have to respect his decision, it's not a decision from a few days, it's a decision from before when we've discussed this," Leicester boss Puel says.

"It's the desire of the player. He has to feel his future, and it's important to respect this feeling and this decision. I am happy for him if he's happy."

 

Asked if Vardy's decision is music to his ears in a Leicester sense, Puel continued: "Yeah, I know like he played for his national team he's always had good concentration.

"But of course it can prevent some injury, he can be more available for us and continue to give his best for Leicester and can take a little more time with his family. That's important in life too."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told goalkeeper Simon Mignolet that being the deputy to Alisson Becker is "not the worst job in the world".

The Belgium international seemed destined for the exit following the £65m arrival of the Brazilian this summer for what was, at the time, a world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

However, Loris Karius - to whom Mignolet lost his place last season - was the one to depart earlier this week on a two-year loan to Besiktas, with the Turkish club undertaking an option to buy for a further £7.25m should he meet certain appearance and European qualification criteria.

It left Mignolet facing another campaign as second choice and prompted him to give an interview in his homeland in which he said he still wanted to play and did not know what the future held for him.

Klopp was not happy the goalkeeper went public but understood his frustrations.

"It is true he will not depart, of course not," he said. "In general discussing your individual problems in public does not make too much sense, it is better to speak to each other, I'm a big believer in that. But it was still OK.

 

"We are all human beings and I have no problem with that, and if he was happy to be a number two then I wouldn't really know him.

"He is a top professional, a top goalkeeper and of course he is not happy to be number two but at the end there are worse things in the world than being number two - pretty good pay by the way at Liverpool."

 

Matty James remains sidelined with an Achilles problem, but Leicester have no new injury concerns.

Turkey defender Caglar Soyuncu is still awaiting his Leicester debut after his summer switch from Freiburg, while Vardy remains suspended.

 

Klopp must decide whether or not to stick with an unchanged Liverpool side for the fourth successive match. Captain Jordan Henderson has been a substitute in all three matches so far, managing just over an hour's pitch time, while fellow midfielder and new signing Fabinho has not even made the last two squads.

Defender Dejan Lovren (hip) is still sidelined.