Claudio Ranieri leaps to the defence of his Leicester stars: We are still hungry

CLOSE: Victory against Copenhagen will nearly put Leicester through

They’re 13th in the table with four defeats after only losing three games all last season.

But the Italian sideswiped any suggestion that his fairy tale title-winners are on the wane.

Ranieri said: “My players sent the world crazy last season and the whole world was behind them.

"We are always the same Leicester City. We have to be strong and play with passion and heart.

"But we fight to the end. We’re hungry and we want to improve, but my players are human – not machines.

"I’m very confident in my team. I want them to show their strength and play for the club, for the team and for Leicester City. We are going the right way.”

The Foxes go into tonight’s game with two impressive Champions League games under their belt over Club Brugge and Porto.

Victory over the Danish champions would put them within touching distance of making it to the knockout stages.

Ranieri claims he is not prioritising Europe at the expense of the Premier League but accepted that it was a big prize.

Copenhagen are top of the Danish league, are on an unbeaten run of 23 games and haven’t conceded a goal in their last four outings.

Ranieri added: “They are a very good side and this will be a very tough match.

"We are going to need our best performance of the season. It’s very, very important for us to get three points.”

The Leicester boss dismissed suggestions that progress in the Champions League could drag them into a relegation fight.

Chelsea had a nightmare defending their Premier League title last season and by Christmas were sixth from bottom, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Ranieri added: “I will touch wood. I hope we will be different to Chelsea. We’re not even considering any pressure from having to fight against relegation.”