Leicester City predicted line-up vs Aston Villa: Three changes as Rodgers shrugs off Roma impact

Brendan Rodgers may hold off on heavy rotation for Leicester City’s game against Aston Villa after he said the team had “enough recovery time” before the huge clash with Roma.

City host Villa in a Midlands derby on Saturday afternoon, a match that comes five days before their first ever European semi-final. But while Rodgers has been playing a midweek team and a weekend team over the past few games to cope with the schedule, that may not be the case this time.

Typically, City’s second-string side has been playing in the weekend fixtures, with Rodgers swapping his defence and attacking lines around for the games. But Rodgers may keep some of his leading stars in for the meeting with Steven Gerrard’s side.

Asked what bearing the Roma tie would have on his team selection for Villa, Rodgers said: “None at all. People are always asking about the Roma game, but I have to respect that supporters are travelling up and down the country. We have had three games away from home lately, away at Newcastle and away at Everton.

“I will always pick a team to win the game. My thinking is always on the next game and that is Aston Villa. We’ll play a team that we believe can get a good result. Then we’ve got enough recovery time through to Thursday.”

However, he did add: “It’s about assessing and managing the players who have been coming back. It’s been a heavy schedule so we have to be mindful.”

So the likes of Wesley Fofana and Jonny Evans, who were both on the sidelines for a considerable period before their returns, may still be rested. That would mean Daniel Amartey and Caglar Soyuncu coming in at centre-back.

James Justin is pushing hard for one of the full-back slots, and so could come in for either Ricardo Pereira or Timothy