Favourites for relegation from the Premier League last season, English champions Leicester make their Champions League debut at Club Brugge today.
Claudio Ranieri’s men find themselves in rarefied company this season, a far cry from the start of last term, when they were 5,000-1 to win the title.
It might be their first time in the competition but in a group containing Porto and FC Copenhagen, Leicester may fancy their chances of making the next stage.
For midfielder Danny Drinkwater, though, it is reward for their efforts last season, when they held their nerve to claim the league title for the first time in their history.
“We’re all excited because it’s a big achievement for the club and for the players to be a part for it is huge,” he told the club’s website.
“As a team, we’ve kind of forced our way into it having had such a good season last season. We deserve to be in it and if we can put our stamp on Champions League football, it’d be perfect.
“It’s a massive achievement. We’ve set a new target in the club’s mind and we’ve reached a goal that probably thought they could never get to so early.”
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman said they have no reason to fear anyone.
“I think they might take some teams by surprise,” McManaman said on Saturday, while commentating on Leicester during their defeat by Liverpool.
“Teams will come on to them and they can hit them on the break.”
Drinkwater said Leicester will go all out to get the three points when they travel to Bruges.
“If we can go there and get a draw then we’ve got a point on the board, but if we can get a win it’d be even better,” he said.
“If we reach the point of getting to the next stage as early as we can, it helps us as a squad. Any point away from home in the Champions League is massive.”
Manager Ranieri said he expected Leicester to bounce back well from their heavy defeat at Liverpool.
“We have to react,” he told the Leicester Mercury newspaper. “Last season when we lost we always had a good reaction. I am waiting for a good reaction.
“I think it will be much easier, much better because now their mental energy will return much quicker because everyone wants to play in the Champions League in Bruges.”
New club record signing Islam Slimani may make his debut at Bruges, having joined up with his colleagues late after signing from Sporting Lisbon.
“The situation with him is OK,” Ranieri said. “He arrived on Friday night and just met his teammates.
“Now he is ready for a training session and to be available for the next match in the Champions League.”

Number crunchers offer hope for Foxes
Leicester City fans will be hoping ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ ahead of their club’s Champions League debut today, and statisticians say they have reason to be optimistic.
According to Gracenote Sports, the Foxes should reach the knockout phase of Europe’s premier competition.
Not only that, but they would appear to have a better chance than 2010-11 quarter-finalists and on-song league rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Gracenote’s Euro Club Index prediction of the 16 most likely qualifiers from the 32 clubs in the group stages is led, inevitably, by European giants Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
That comes as no surprise, with Barcelona seeking to reach the knockout phase for the 13th season in a row and Real the 20th time in succession — one more than Arsenal.
But Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester, despite being ranked only the 32nd best team in the overall index, appear a surprisingly high 13th thanks to the luck of the draw with Tottenham predicted to qualify also in 16th place. Now to see what happens on the pitch.