- Tottenham Hotspur are Leicester City’s next Premier League opponents
- King Power Stadium will host Saturday’s 3pm kick-off
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looks ahead to the meeting with the Lilywhites
- Continuing the momentum gained last week is key, he says
Returning to Filbert Way for the visit of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur this Saturday (3pm kick-off), Dewsbury-Hall sat down to preview the top-flight fixture with LCFC TV.
Reflecting on that morale-boosting 4-2 victory, the Academy graduate felt it was just what the Foxes needed to reignite their season, collecting three Premier League points for the first time in 2023, following on from an Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round triumph at Walsall.
“[Villa have] been doing well in the league,” the 24-year-old commented. “It was definitely a tough game and we showed a lot of character during the game to go behind twice. I’m really happy, all the lads were buzzing at full-time.
“There were a lot of good individual performances, especially with the new lads coming in, they looked straight at home. It was a really positive game that has put us into good stead going into this weekend.
“Freshness is always needed in football, it helps. It’s nice to see new faces that come in motivated and determined to get a place in the team. They’ve been great since they came in.
“The lads have taken to them, trained really well and as you’ve seen in the first game, they all made an impact in their own individual way. We’re really happy to have them here and we’re hoping that they can keep building on that in the coming weeks.”
Dewsbury-Hall had a hand in the Foxes’ opener at Villa Park, winning possession in the Villa box, allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to set up James Maddison for an equaliser. Iheanacho, Tetê and Dennis Praet also netted in the Midlands.
The midfielder continued: “Going behind early wasn’t ideal but it was a great response to manage to get an equaliser quite soon after so that was part of the game plan, we wanted to press them high and trap them in moments.
“And luckily for us, that was a time when it happened and we managed to finish it. It was a nice goal and, during more points in the first half we continued to do that. We got more goals from it so it was pleasing.
“Winning breeds confidence and the three points were massive for us. We’ve all been in good spirits this week, it’s been a good week of training. We've worked hard and there’s nothing to say that we can’t get another three points on Saturday.”
Tottenham have also won successive matches in league and cup and have not conceded a goal in their last 270 minutes of football, outlining the size of the task in hand against Antonio Conte’s men, which is followed by fixtures versus Manchester United and Arsenal.
“We’ve got a tough run but it's a run that we’re looking forward to and facing head on,” he added. “The first test is Saturday and I’m confident that we can go there and get a positive result. It’ll be a really good game.
“It’s two teams that are really chomping at the bit to try and keep a good run going in the league and a lot of good quality will be on show. It’s about taking your chances in the game but also being disciplined and determined and hard to play against.
“We’re going to try and do that. Hopefully, for the fans, we’re going to get another three points and they’ll go home happy.”