Leicester City can’t repeat usual selection trick against Liverpool

Leicester City manager, Brendan Rodgers, won’t be able to repeat his trick from the past two years as injuries prevent him from rotating heavily.

Rodgers has made wholesale changes for each of City’s last two matches on December 28, which both came around 48 hours after their Boxing Day outing.

It was to some success too. Nine changes were made at West Ham two years ago, but goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Demarai Gray earned a 2-1 win, while seven changes were made last season for a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

But fresher for a rest, City’s big-name stars returned for the New Year fixture, both away at Newcastle and both twice won by Rodgers’ side.

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But with nine senior players set to miss the game through injury or illness, Rodgers has said that rotating to such a degree for Tuesday night’s meeting with Liverpool will not be possible.

Asked if he would enact his usual plan, he said: “I don’t think we can. Like you said, the last few seasons we have been able to do that. But we certainly won’t be able to do that this time. A number of the players will have to go again.

“There’ll be some changes, but not like the past couple of seasons.”

Of the changes that could be made, Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi are possibilities to return to the squad.

They watched the 6-3 loss to Manchester City from the substitutes’ bench, both nursing tight hamstrings following the 3-3 draw with Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Rodgers hopes they will be fit to feature at the King Power Stadium.

“We couldn’t risk Vards or Wilf (against Man City), they had hamstring issues so we had to put them on the bench, but we knew we weren’t really going to be able to use them,” Rodgers said.