Simpson Eyes Man City Upset
- Leicester City will be encouraged by their recent results against Manchester City, says Danny Simpson
- The Foxes beat Man City 4-2 during their last clash at King Power Stadium
- Simpson knows just how difficult Saturday’s fixture against the Premier League leaders will be
Following the final international break of the year, the Foxes return to action against the Premier League leaders in the hope of extending their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
Man City, meanwhile, have scored 38 goals in just 11 league fixtures this term and currently sit eight points clear at the summit.
“The way they’re playing at the moment, you’d say so,” said Simpson when asked whether the clash with Pep Guardiola’s men is City’s biggest challenge of the season so far.
“You hear every day that you can’t see anyone stopping them. They’re not conceding many goals and they’re scoring goals for fun and that’s not just one player. There’s a number of players that are all chipping in with goals.
“I’ve always felt like we’ve done well against Man City over the years, especially at home. We’ve got nothing to lose. We’ll have a go at them and we’ll try and get something from them.
“With the current form and the record that we’ve got against each other, there’s no reason why we can’t cause an upset.”
City swept Guardiola’s side away at King Power Stadium last term, as Jamie Vardy scored a superb hat-trick during a 4-2 triumph, and for Simpson, that is an encouraging factor.
Simpson continued: “I don’t like the word bonus game because anyone can beat anyone on the day. The neutral will be just expecting Man City to turn up and beat us, go home and that’s it.
“From our point of view, especially the way we’ve played against them in some of the games, there’s no reason why we can’t get even a point against them.
“We’re in pretty good form at the moment considering the tough start that we’ve had. We won’t get much training time together.
“Normally you get the full week but we’ve had internationals so we’ll do what we can and make sure we’re all ready.”
One man Simpson was particularly proud of over the international break was stopper Kasper Schmeichel, who played twice for Denmark to help them reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals.
“For any of your team-mates to reach the World Cup is amazing,” said Simpson. “Not all of us will get to play in a World Cup, so I made sure I text him to say ‘congratulations’ and obviously I’ll see him soon anyway.
“It’s a great achievement for him and his country. He’s a top ‘keeper and I’m sure he’ll show how good he is to the rest of the world that if they don’t already know.”
Under Claude Puel, the Foxes have collected four Premier League points and Simpson believes his side, in both games, have showcased different qualities.
He added: “I feel like we’ve always been strong defensively as a unit. He’s come in with different ideas, so it’s about being able to attack in different ways as well.
“You’ve seen glimpses of that over a couple of games already. It was a shame with Stoke – maybe we should have won – but the main thing is not to lose, especially away from home.
“Stoke is a tough place to go to, but with the new manager now, I think over time the fans will start to see a different side to Leicester.”