'There’s Certainly Some Excitement' – Former Fox Elliott's Pre-Burton Thoughts

- Leicester City face Burton Albion at Pirelli Stadium in pre-season on Saturday
- The 3pm kick-off will be broadcast live on LCFC TV from 2:30pm
- City have been in pre-season training in Seagrave for the past fortnight
- The 52-year-old is excited to see the squad back in action 

Brendan Rodgers' men head to Pirelli Stadium to face the Brewers after a fortnight of pre-season training at LCFC Training Ground ahead of also tackling Wycombe Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers and Villarreal before the FA Community Shield tie against Manchester City.

As well as many of City's regular players from previous seasons, new recruits Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumaré and Ryan Bertrand are likely to feature over the coming weeks as the Club continues its summer preparations.

"The new players that come in, there's always a bit of anticipation, a bit of intrigue," said Elliott, ahead of LCFC TV's live coverage of the encounter on Saturday, which starts at 2:30pm. "The supporters in particular are desperate to see the new arrivals and to see what all the fuss is about.

"With Daka and Soumaré, there’s an element of the unknown as they move to a new country, but there’s certainly some excitement as well.

"Most people feel the additions have been made in the right areas up to now. They’re adding great depth to the squad and, despite performing exceptionally well throughout the course of last season, there’s also some room for improvement within the squad.

"I’m sure the fans will be encouraged by the signings and the areas where they’ll be positioned in. Certain areas sometimes need strengthening, and Leicester have done that.

"All the teams around Leicester are improving, or they soon will do, so it’s going to be a big challenge again for the Club. But we know they’re always looking up in the table."

While Elliott admits football has changed since his time as a Fox, the former Scotland international nevertheless feels these early pre-season friendlies will largely be concentrated on fitness gains, ahead of Leicester's Premier League opener against Wolves on Saturday 14 August.

However, the 52-year-old did point out some aspects he will be looking out for when the Foxes run out in Staffordshire.

"The game has evolved since my time, but it’s not on another planet," he added. "The first couple of games are about getting minutes under the belt and getting some match fitness.

"At the same time, they’ll be looking at employing different approaches and systems, or players in certain positions, so it’s about developing that as well.

"They’ll be looking to develop fitness and also a mentality about the squad too. We’re unlikely to see too many finer details, but Brendan will look at how the new players settle.

"Even at an early stage, you can see those who bounce into pre-season. Some people just take a while longer, but some are at it from the start.

"Brendan will be keeping an eye on that and assessing the situation, but from my own point of view, I’d be interested to look at the systems we use over the pre-season.

"We had a couple of varieties last season and I’m sure we will again over the course of this new season, but it’ll offer an early impression of the sort of tactics Leicester may employ."