PL2 Preview: City Welcome Manchester United
The visitors, who won the Division 1 crown in 2016, are among the likely contenders to challenge for the title again but optimism is high in Steve Beaglehole’s camp of picking up a positive result.
Ahead of the 1pm kick-off at Belvoir Drive on Monday, here’s five things you may not already know…
New faces aplenty
It’s not just the first team who have an exciting crop of fresh talent this summer.
Beaglehole has bolstered his ranks with three new faces; centre back Sam Hughes (Chester), shot-stopper Rhys Davies (Newport) and midfielder George Thomas (Coventry City).
Thomas: I Can't Wait To Get Started
New signing George Thomas spoke to LCFC TV after sealing his move to the Foxes.
“They have settled in very well,” the Under-23s manager said. “They are three young players with a lot of talent and it will be good to see how they all flourish.”
There are also those who have committed their futures to the Club; Layton Ndukwu, Alex Pascanu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Josh Knight, Lamine Kaba Sherif and Max Bramley.
It’s all leading to this...
City have embarked on a meticulously planned pre-season schedule this summer to give them the best possible chance over the course of the next 10 months.
Beaglehole’s men started by returning to Belvoir Drive for testing in early July before flying to Jersey for a four-day training trip which culminated in a 2-1 success over the national side.
Friendlies included a 3-1 victory against Sheffield Wednesday last month before an entertaining 3-3 draw was played out at Nuneaton Town, managed by former Fox Tommy Wright.
The Foxes also participated in the Tournoi Europeen in northern France, ending their stay with a magnificent 1-0 win over Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.
Last time out
In front of a 3,425-strong crowd at King Power Stadium, City and Manchester United competed a 0-0 stalemate when the two sides last met in Premier League 2 in April.
Despite having the better of the chances, Beaglehole’s men couldn't quite see off a stubborn, well-organised United outfit.
With just three matches remaining, Leicester sat just outside the bottom two in the league standings in 10th place.
They later beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at White Hart Lane to secure their top-flight status.
Premier League 2 explained
In one of the most competitive Under-23s structures in world football, the Premier League 2 pyramid consists of two divisions of 12 teams apiece.
The 24 clubs each applied for 'Category One' status in the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). There are 15 from the Premier League and nine from the Sky Bet Championship.
Layton Ndukwu scored this beauty for #lcfcu23 against Arsenal this past weekend...👌 pic.twitter.com/vsSzRog0eY
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 20, 2017
While the age limit for youth players is 23-years-old, each team can field a goalkeeper over the limit and up to three ‘over-age’ outfield players in every match.
The bottom two teams in Division 1 are relegated to Division 2. In Division 2, the league winners are awarded automatic promotion while the rest of the top-five contest play-offs.
Live on LCFC TV
The match may be set to be played behind-closed-doors at the Club’s Belvoir Drive training ground, but you can stay up-to-date with all the action with live coverage on LCFC TV!
From 15 minutes before kick-off, Chris Coles and Gerry Taggart go on air for all the vital pre-match discussion and live commentary from the Under-23s' maiden clash of the season.
Beaglehole Looks Ahead To United Clash
Development Squad manager Steve Beaglehole sat down with LCFC TV to discuss pre-season preparations and the new Premier League 2 season ahead.
At full-time, reaction with Beaglehole, the backroom team and key figures from within his squad will then be posted to LCFC.com.
To watch the match, receive exclusive video content and buy tickets/official merchandise all in one place, click HERE to register before kick-off.