leicester city
Enzo Maresca makes a joke amid Leicester City injury crisis ahead of Sunderland clash
Leicester City have added to their long injury list ahead of their visit to Sunderland.
Sunderland will likely need all the help they can get as they host Leicester City in the Championship this evening.
The Black Cats head into the midweek clash off the back of four league defeats for the first time since September 2017.
Mike Dodds‘ side are now nine points below the playoff spot and will need a huge miracle to finish in the top six for the fourth season running, while they also sit the same distance away from the relegation zone.
They are probably facing Leicester at the best time though, with the Foxes also losing three games in the bounce – unheard of for future league champions.
The Foxes are now only three points clear at the top of the Championship and will be desperate to pick up an important win on the road, though they may also be hindered by their growing injury list.
Enzo Maresca has now confirmed that Ricardo Pereira and Dennis Praet are out, joining Wilfred Ndidi, Jannik Vestergaard and Kasey McAteer on the sidelines.
Speaking to Leicestershire Live ahead of the game, the Foxes manager joked: “Ricardo is injured and he will be out until after the international break.
“Dennis is injured again. I was a midfielder. Probably on Tuesday (against Sunderland) I can play half an hour, 45 minutes, because in this moment we have just Harry Winks, Kiernan, and Yunus.”
Who should Sunderland be worried about?
Ricardo Pereira will be a huge loss for Leicester City, starting 30 matches this term and playing regularly during their time in the Premier League too.
It’s a huge shame that Jack Clarke is out, as he would have come up against Pereira’s replacement, but Romaine Mundle will hope to make an impact instead.
While Leicester will be without a number of key players, the presence of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is still a major concern for the Black Cats.
The 25-year-old is somewhat of a cheat code in the Championship, already netting 10 goals and providing 12 assists.
He is no doubt a Premier League player, and with how poor Sunderland have been all over the pitch recently, Dewsbury-Hall will be licking his lips ahead of his visit to Wearside.
Mike Dodds will be boosted by Dan Ballard’s return though, with his absence really felt over the past couple of games. It seems to be a lot to ask of this team, but they really need to be switched on for 90 minutes to avoid embarrassment tonight.
