Leicester set for EPL title party
Published on: Saturday, May 07, 2016
LONDON: The King Power Stadium will stage Leicester City's coronation as Premier League champions on Saturday when Claudio Ranieri's miracle team receive the trophy after their final home game against Everton.Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Monday, which confirmed Leicester's extraordinary 5,000-1 success, sparked jubilation in the streets of Leicester and a party at the home of star striker Jamie Vardy, where the players had gathered to watch the match.The festivities have continued across the week, with the squad dining out at a city-centre restaurant on Tuesday, but Saturday's game presents an opportunity for players, staff and supporters to unite in communal celebration of a feat that has captivated fans around the world.
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Ranieri has admitted that he is torn between urging his team to power over the line and wanting to enjoy the moment, saying on Thursday: "Inside me there are two people."One is very aggressive — I want to win. I won the Premier League, but now I want to win on Saturday. I want to win next season — and is never satisfied."Another says: 'Claudio, how many managers are there in the world? Too many. Not everyone can be Sir Alex Ferguson, (Fabio) Capello, (Carlo) Ancelotti. You are having a very good career.'"
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The renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will set the tone with pre-match renditions of 'Nessun Dorma' and 'Time to Say Goodbye', honouring a recent promise to his countryman Ranieri.After the match, the trophy will be presented to Leicester captain Wes Morgan by lifelong supporter Steve Worthy, who won a competition organised by league sponsors Barclays.
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He is dedicating the experience to his 97-year-old grandmother, Gladys Knight, who had to forfeit her season ticket this season due to ill health."When I hand the Premier League trophy to Wes Morgan I'll be thinking of my grandmother," Worthy said.The 25kg trophy, topped by a golden crown, will be decorated with ribbons of blue, for Leicester, and yellow, representing the royal house of Thailand, which is the country of club owners King Power.Morgan will become the first Leicester skipper to hoist a major trophy since Matt Elliott lifted the League Cup 16 years ago and the 32-year-old centre-back has already been picturing the moment."I am going to try to hold back the tears," said the Jamaica international, a Leicester player for four years."It is going to be very emotional."On the pitch, Leicester will welcome back 22-goal top scorer Vardy after he was suspended for the 4-0 win over Swansea City and last weekend's 1-1 draw at Manchester United, which took Ranieri's men to the brink of glory.While there is nothing riding on the game for either side, Vardy has an opportunity to close the three-goal gap separating him from Tottenham's Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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