London - Danny Drinkwater insists Leicester City are not in the Champions League just to make up the numbers.
Last season’s improbable Premier League title-winners make their debut in Europe’s elite club competition when they take on Club Bruges in Belgium tomorrow night.
Leicester have been drawn in one of the competition’s weaker groups - Porto and Copenhagen are their other opponents - and are expected to progress to the knockout stages.
But Drinkwater is looking further ahead.
‘We don’t want it to be the first and last time we are in the Champions League,’ he said. ‘We are going to look to show them what we are made of. I’d be daft if I said we can’t win it.
‘I think everybody would have thought we couldn’t win the Premier League and we did it. If we are playing to prove people wrong then perfect.’
Just three years ago Leicester were facing Blackburn in the Championship.
Eight years ago today they lost 1-0 at home to Millwall in League One.
It is in that context that Kasper Schmeichel thinks Leicester’s voyage into Europe should be judged after a poor start to their title defence.
‘In my first season we finished ninth in the Championship,’ said the Denmark goalkeeper. ‘We’ve come a long way and sometimes you do have to take a step back and reflect.’
Daily Mail