LONDON • Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy and playmaker James Maddison are likely to be rested for today’s FA Cup third-round clash at Stoke City to allow them to fully recover from injuries, manager Brendan Rodgers has said.
Vardy, Leicester’s top scorer this season with 13 goals in all competitions, is battling a niggling hip problem, while Maddison, who has scored six goals and provided six assists, is carrying a knee injury. Both players did not train this week.
“Both of (them) have done really well to get through these last number of games because they’ve been carrying some injuries,” Rodgers told reporters.
“This may be an opportunity for us to let them recover and then be ready after the weekend… Because of the closeness of the games, they haven’t been able to have the recovery period.
“We’re having to look at where we can do that, for the benefit of the short and the longer term. So this is probably going to be the weekend where they miss out.”
Rodgers said defender Ricardo Pereira will also miss the game as he recovers from a groin issue, while new recruit Cengiz Under will need to be assessed after picking up an ankle injury.
Ahead of the clash against the Championship side, the Foxes boss also spoke highly of Stoke manager Michael O’Neill.
The pair grew up in the same town in Northern Ireland, played for the same junior team, albeit four years apart, and have known each other for more than three decades.
Rodgers, 46, started coaching before 51-year-old O’Neill, who was still playing, but the former said he had a lot of respect for his compatriot.
“I know Michael well,” he said.
“He’s a few years older than me and played for the Star United team that I played for in Ballymena as well… and he went to St Louis’ Grammar School in Ballymena, I went to St Patrick’s, so I was aware of Michael in my teenage years.
“He had an excellent career as a player and was always going to be successful in whatever he went into.
“I have a huge admiration for Michael. He’s a good man and he’s done an excellent job since he’s gone into Stoke as well.”
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