Simpson Excited By Hong Kong Challenge
- Leicester City's Danny Simpson is excited by the challenge of competing in the Premier League Asia Trophy this week
- The Foxes will first go head-to-head with West Bromwich Albion before a final clash against either Crystal Palace or Liverpool
- Simpson says taking on Premier League opposition in Hong Kong will be perfect preparation for the new 2017/18 season
- After a tough week of pre-season training and conditioning in Austria, City's pre-season schedule is gathering steam
The Foxes will take on West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday (11am BST kick-off) before facing either Crystal Palace or Liverpool the following Saturday. Simpson, who returned for pre-season training at Belvoir Drive earlier this month, was also a part of the squad who flew out to Austria last week for a productive training camp in the southern town of Verden ahead of Sunday's journey to Hong Kong.
“It’s great to be here,” the right back told LCFC TV from the team hotel following an 11-hour flight to Asia. “To come across to the other side of the world and to be in a competition with three other Premier League teams is great for us and our pre-season. It’s great to get ready for the start of new season. We’ve got West Brom and then, in the other tie, it’s Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
Simpson Keen To Get Started
We caught up with Danny Simpson after the squad arrived in Hong Kong and he said he couldn't wait to get down to business against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League Asia Trophy.
“It’s a great tournament to be in and hopefully we’ll get out of it what we want. It’s a great experience to come over to Hong Kong and play against Premier League teams. We know what we’re up against and the difficulties that we face, we’ll all face them together.”
In a similar fashion to Austria, the unique weather could be a big factor during City’s stay in Hong Kong. On their first day, the Foxes were greeted with damp, humid conditions and the forecasts suggest more of the same during their stay. Simpson, however, says all of the English teams taking part will have to fight the same battles and insists it won’t be a distraction for his team-mates this week.
He added: “It’s rainy, sticky and very humid, which is something that we’re not used to. With the rain we are, but not the humidity. It’ll be the same for all the teams, so that’ll help our fitness. It’ll be tough but it’ll be great for when we get back to England. The first week in Leicester was tough and it was great for us to get back into it, then Austria was another level.
“We stepped it up with the heat and we’ll step it up again this week. It’s great preparation for us to go into that first game against Arsenal.”
Follow all the latest from Hong Kong with exclusive coverage from the Premier League Asia Trophy on LCFC.com this week.