It’s been an extremely mixed season in the Premier League for Leicester City, but the magic of their 2015-16 campaign has clearly followed them abroad. With a 2-1 victory over Club Brugge on Tuesday, Leicester City clinched the top spot in Group G, ahead of two-time Champions League winners FC Porto.
BREAKING: Leicester City qualify for the @ChampionsLeague last 16. pic.twitter.com/gBUdPH9TSt
— SPORF (@Sporf) November 22, 2016
The formidable defense that made Leicester City EPL champions last season has already allowed 20 goals in only 12 domestic games. However, that same defense has only surrendered a single goal in five Champions League matches.
To belabor a point, Leicester have collected 13 points from their Champions League matches and only 12 in the EPL. In many ways, this season is shaping up to be just as unbelievable as the last one.
Who would have thought!
Leicester City are through to the knockout stages of the Champions LeagueMore:https://t.co/CPlfVlSFmX pic.twitter.com/nLUBAbNC6I
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 22, 2016
While Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Riyad Mahrez have struggled with the added pressure in England, they’ve all performed admirably in the UCL. Jamie Vardy’s early struggles have continued in both competitions, but at least the club’s record signing, Islam Slimani, has been effective for the Foxes abroad.
Having secured the top spot in their group, Leicester will now avoid drawing the heaviest of hitters in the knockout rounds, although any round of 16 pairing will almost certainly see Leicester billed as the underdogs.
Yes, they were handed a lucky draw in Group G, but luck is something that Leicester have manufactured themselves for over a year now. Tactically, this team seems setup to thrive in European knockout competition.
If they continue to dominate defensively and can somehow re-strike the offensive chemistry that made them so dangerous last season, those 44-1 odds don’t look like such a long shot.
