Riyad Mahrez injury boost for Leicester ahead of Monday night
Thursday 10 March 2016 16:52, UK
Riyad Mahrez has given Leicester an injury boost ahead of their Monday Night Football game against Newcastle.
The Algeria midfielder came off after scoring the winner in the 1-0 victory at Watford on Saturday which moved Leicester five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
There were fears he had suffered a hamstring injury but his manager Claudio Ranieri has confirmed his 16-goal striker has trained this week and is fit to face Newcastle.
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Ranieri said: "He is good, everybody is in a good condition. There are no problems with Mahrez. It was a little cramp."
During their last 38 games, including the final nine games of last season - where they won seven to avoid relegation - Leicester have earned 82 points, 11 more than any other top-flight team in the same period.
They have lost just three times this season ahead of the Magpies' visit but Ranieri dismissed any praise to focus on their opponents.
He said: "Now we are not thinking about how many points, we are thinking about Newcastle. It's a difficult match, they are in a dangerous position.
"I can't believe why, they spent more than £100m and I think it will be another difficult match. They are fighting to survive. I am very surprised they are struggling, they have a good manager, good players and fantastic fans."
And, despite being five points clear of second-placed Tottenham, Ranieri continued to play down the Foxes' title chances.
He added: "No, we are the same, the favourites are the others. It [the lead] doesn't matter, we have to fight and at the end we can say 'we achieved this', 'we are in the Europa League, fantastic, we are in the Champions League, amazing'.
Meanwhile, long-term injury victim Matty James is close to a recovery after returning to full training following a knee injury he suffered last year.
