Leicester and Tottenham ponder FA Cup changes as fixtures pile up
Jamie Vardy is a major injury casualty for Claudio Ranieri as he prepares his Leicester side to face Tottenham in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Vardy, the joint-leading scorer in the Barclays Premier League, required surgery to repair a long-standing problem and went under the knife this week.
The 28-year-old could be in contention to play in the league on Wednesday, when the two clubs face each other again, but Ranieri may not risk him at White Hart Lane next week, a fixture which comes three days after the two sides meet at the same venue in the FA Cup third round, despite the match being crucial to the Foxes' title bid.
"He's okay," said Ranieri.
"Today (Thursday) Jamie is working with the physio and he should be okay for the league game (against Tottenham).
"I say to my physio I do not want to lose him for a long time. If he is ready for the second Tottenham game, it's okay. If not - Aston Villa."
Leicester have been this season's surprise package but Tottenham, their FA Cup opponents on Sunday, have impressed Ranieri, who used the north London club as an example of how he wants the Foxes to progress.
"They have a lot of young players. Why? Because they started earlier than us," said the Italian, who could hand a debut to 19-year-old winger Demarai Gray following his arrival from Birmingham this week.
"(Spurs manager Mauricio) Pochettino is doing a good job. Their squad is fantastic. When we drew with Tottenham at home earlier (this season) I felt they were something special.
"It is difficult to play Tottenham because they have fantastic players. They have a first team and second team the same.
"They have a good mix of young and old. We want to follow their example.
"When I signed, (club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha) told me wants to build good, young players and a team that can compete with the big teams, to get into Europe in two or three years, after that the Champions League.
"I said we'll work hard to achieve it. We want to improve. It is my first six months that I am working with these players. We have to improve a lot. We already improve, but we need more, I believe."
As he did in the League Cup this season, Ranieri will also make wholesale changes to his team in the FA Cup, although Jeff Schlupp (hamstring) and Matty James (knee) are still not ready to return.
He said: "We will change a lot, because these players deserve a chance to play. It will be a blend of players. Our mentality won't change. We go to win. If Tottenham are better, well done to them."
Pochettino has admitted he is likely to make a raft of changes to his side following a busy festive period, but insists he will respect the competition despite the focus being on the league.
"It's not a distraction, the FA Cup is the oldest competition in the world. We respect the competition a lot," Pochettino said.
"We have a strong squad. It's true we come off a very busy period in Christmas.
"But it's a good opportunity, maybe for some players who cannot play consistently play in the Premier League, to show their quality and fight for their place in the team."
Ryan Mason and Mousa Dembele will both miss the match with ankle injuries while Clinton Njie is out with a knee problem.
Alex Pritchard is close to resuming first team training after four months out with an ankle injury but the winger is still some way short of match fitness.
Source: DSG
