Motivation high ahead of City game: Leicester coach Ranieri

High-flying Leicester City's head coach Claudio Ranieri believes the prospect of playing a side with the quality of Manchester City will give his team all the motivation they need to bounce back in the English Premier League (EPL) on Tuesday.

Ranieri's side suffered just their second defeat of the English football league campaign on Boxing Day as they went down 0-1 to Liverpool at the Anfield stadium.

Leicester and third placed City have just three-point gap between them. A win for Leicester would stretch that to six while a defeat would see Manuel Pellegrini's side leapfrog them in the table on goal difference.

"The motivation is high because you're playing one of the teams that can win the league like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. We have to put in a very good performance to win that," Ranieri told the club's official website on Monday.

Ranieri thinks that playing one of the league's most dangerous sides can bring the best out of his own players.

"They have so much talent but it's important that we recover our energy and show our football. With our fans behind us at home we have one player more," he said.

Leicester will be without left-back Jeffrey Schlupp for the fixture while midfielder Danny Drinkwater remains a doubt with a hamstring injury.

Midfielder Matty James is also missing as he continues his recovery from a long-term injury.