Leicester City are hoping to welcome back a couple of key players over the Easter Weekend with nine games remaining to earn promotion back to the Premier League
Ricardo Pereira, Jamie Vardy and Dennis Praet will hope to be nearing a return to fitness as the Championship run-in begins with an Easter weekend double header.
Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca said the injured trio would be making their comebacks after the international break, but whether they will be up to speed for the Good Friday trip to Bristol City (12.30pm kick-off) remains to be seen. Further details will be provided by Maresca at his press conference later this week.
After an injury-free season, Ricardo has now missed City’s past four games in all competitions with a hamstring injury he picked up in training. His last outing was in the defeat at Leeds a month ago. He has been especially missed and he will be the biggest boost for City if he can return at Bristol City, or on Easter Monday at home to Norwich (12.30pm kick-off).
Vardy, City’s top scorer this season, was absent for the FA Cup loss to Chelsea after aggravating a problem in the previous game against Hull. He’d not trained ahead of that match, but started and scored twice, only to then be sidelined. Maresca said ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge that it was “not a big issue”.
Praet could also be close to making a comeback. He limped off holding his hamstring in the defeat to QPR at the beginning of the month, with Maresca expecting him to be out for three to four weeks.
Kasey McAteer is less likely to be back this week though. The winger, who has had a few hamstring issues this season, had the “worst” of City’s injuries, Maresca said a couple of weeks ago, meaning a comeback over Easter is very unlikely.
One player definitely out is Callum Doyle. The Manchester City loanee will serve a one-match suspension against Bristol City after his red card in the defeat to Chelsea.
And potentially filling his place in the matchday squad could be Will Alves. The homegrown attacking midfielder has had a few minor muscle injuries over recent months as he makes his way back from a long-term ACL tear, but he was fit enough to travel with the squad to Chelsea, and so could be a contender for a spot on the bench at Ashton Gate.
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