Celtic avoided a major embarrassment by finding their mojo in the home leg against part-timers Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar to move into the second round of Champions League qualifying in midweek. Brendan Rodgers' Scottish champions men will now host the English Premier League winners in a mouthwatering International Champions Cup encounter in Glasgow on Saturday.
Rodgers was facing a scathing loss to the side from Gibraltar after losing the first leg of their Champions League qualifying match away 1-0, but those worries eased off within the first 30 minutes of the second leg at Celtic Park, as the Scottish champions eventually ran-out 3-1 winners on aggregate.
With a tricky Champions League second round tie against Astana looming, Rodgers will be keen for his Celtic players to get into their big-match groove by beating English champions Leicester City.
"It's the Scottish champions vs the English champions, and we know they're a team who produced a sporting miracle last year – I think we're all agreed on that," Rodgers said.
"They're just a great example of a team that is organised, disciplined and can show their quality within the team structure.
"It's great to watch them play – obviously, there's been a lot of talk about their counter-attacking, they've got big pace and quality in their moments in the game, but to win the Premier League you need more than that.
"They've got defensive qualities, they're organised and they can pass the ball as well so they were the top team in England last year and it will be a good measure for our players to go up against them and see where we fit."
Claudio Ranieri's Leicester kicked off their preseason preparations with a 2-1 win over Oxford United on Tuesday, and while results matter little in these sorts of matches, the Italian will be keen for his side to maintain the momentum with victory in their first International Champions Cup match, before lining up against more fearsome opposition.
"Celtic are ahead of us (in terms of preparation)," Ranieri told reporters. "They've already played in the Champions League and it'll be very good for us to increase our fitness and stamina. It'll be very good for us to get more experience. Giving all the players international experience is very important.
"We play against Celtic, and then against PSG in Los Angeles and then Barcelona in Stockholm – we hope we are ready to compete against Manchester United (for the Community Shield)."
Where to Watch Live
Celtic vs Leicester City is scheduled for a 5.30 p.m. BST (10 p.m. IST, 12.30 p.m. ET) start. Below are the live streaming and TV options.
India: TV: Sony ESPN. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD. Live streaming: Sky Go.
Thailand: TV: PPTV.
Singapore: TV: Starhub.
China: TV: Guangdong Sports and LeTV.
USA: TV: ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Australia: TV: Optus Sport.
