3 Leicester City players Ranieri must drop ahead of their Champions League clash

Leicester City have not made the start to their Premier League title defence that Foxes fans would have expected.

Claudio Ranieri’s side have won just two of the first eight league games, and have lost all four of their Premier League away matches in the first few months of the season.

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Their tally of eight points is the joint second worst start to a title defence alongside Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea last season, and Ranieri will have to seriously consider some changes going into their Champions League match against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.

In contrast to their Premier League woes, Leicester have won both of their European group stage games this season, with an impressive 3-0 win at Club Brugge backed up by an equally-superb 1-0 victory over FC Porto last month.

A win for Leicester on Tuesday would put them within touching distance of qualifying for the last-16, so here are THREE players Ranieri must drop to get that important three points…

Luis Hernandez

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

The Leicester manager could axe any of his back four after their showing at Chelsea at the weekend, but I think he needs to go back to last season’s defence in a bid to shore up his leaky backline.

I haven’t been entirely convinced by Luis Hernandez since his move from Sporting Gijon in the summer and, if Danny Simpson is 100 per cent fit, he should replace the Spaniard in the side on Tuesday.

Leicester have been much better at home so far this season, but that doesn’t mean that the defence immediately becomes better – there are issues that need addressing, and I think a personnel change is needed to get the basics right.

Ahmed Musa

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Although it was a tough afternoon for both Ahmed Musa and Jamie Vardy on Saturday, I don’t think Musa has done enough in the early stages of his Leicester career to earn a regular starting berth.

Whenever the Foxes came forward on Saturday, it was Vardy who looked the more likely to net, and Musa just did not have much of an impact on the game.

He was replaced after 67 minutes by Islam Slimani, the man who scored the winner against Porto, and he should be the one who comes into the side against Copenhagen.

Jeffrey Schlupp

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Riyad Mahrez will almost certainly come back into the side on Tuesday, and I suspect it will be at the expense of Jeffrey Schlupp.

Ranieri gave the 23-year-old his first Premier League start of the season against Chelsea, but he was part of a Leicester side that, 20 minutes aside in the second-half, didn’t carry much of an attacking threat.

His pace could be a great weapon for Ranieri off the bench on Tuesday night though if the Foxes need to get themselves back into the game.