Talking Heads: Rodgers, Hasenhüttl, Tielemans & Forster Preview Saturday's Clash
- Leicester City welcome Southampton to King Power Stadium on Saturday (8pm kick-off)
- The Foxes currently sit fourth in the Premier League, three points above the seventh-placed Saints
- Managers Brendan Rodgers and Ralph Hasenhüttl held pre-match press conferences this week
- Youri Tielemans and Fraser Forster have also sat down to discuss their sides' recent form
Leicester City are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions, while the Saints head into the clash on the back of a 1-0 victory over champions Liverpool on 4 January.
Ahead of the Filbert Way encounter, Brendan Rodgers and Youri Tielemans spoke to the press in Leicester, while Ralph Hasenhüttl and Fraser Forster have also addressed the media...
Brendan Rodgers previews Saturday and reflects on City's recent form: "This will be a tough examination for us. You’ve seen their last result (a 1-0 victory over Liverpool), you see the games they’ve played. They’re always in tight games and they’ve got very good players, so it will be a big test for us. We’re not even at the halfway point. I’m pretty calm, relaxed and pleased with where we’re at at this stage of the season, after the games and the injuries we’ve had. I’ve been excited watching the team these last few weeks. In our last FA Cup game, I was really pleased with the performance level and we hope that can continue for the rest of the season."
Saints manager Ralph Hasenhüttl on his selection considerations: "With a few injuries we have at the moment in a few positions, the chance is big that also young players get a chance from the beginning. So we have some issues because of the intense time we had over Christmas, and now we must find a squad that is competitive. There was a reason why we tried in the summer to reconstruct all the Academy and the Under-23 team and the way they should play, because we knew that in this season it can be that we have moments where we have a lot of young players in the first-team squad."
Youri Tielemans on playing in a winning Leicester City side at present: "It’s really a joy to play in this team, and we have a very good understanding between the players. We always try to put ourselves in the best position to play and to perform. That’s why it’s really nice to play with the other guys. I think you can see it on the pitch that we enjoy playing together. Hopefully, we’ll stay like this, and it will help us towards the end of the season. I think the whole league is very tight at the moment, so this period is going to be a very important period, but it’s going to reflect, as well, who’s going to be there in the end. Hopefully it will be us."
After making his first start of the season in Southampton's 1-0 win over Liverpool, goalkeeper Fraser Forster told southamptonfc.com: "I came in and tried to do my best and I’m just thankful to be back playing. It’s a long time since I played here and it’s fantastic to be back playing for a club I love. The manager has got the team playing in a fantastic way and it’s such a good way of playing football, so to be a part of that is fantastic and all I want to do is what I can to help the club move forward, however that is."
All times GMT.