Everton and Leicester set to renew rivarly away from home

Merseyside club Everton touched down in Bangkok yesterday, a day after its EPL rivals Leicester City arrived for an exhibition tomorrow in the capital.

The two English sides, both of whom have close connection with the country, are due to take part in the glamour fixture at the Supachalasai Stadium. The match was arranged to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Leicester’s parent company, King Power International.

Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha was hoping local fans would be able to see the spectacle in a match he organised as a “gift” for them.

“I would like to arrange this pre-season game as a gift to Thai fans and celebrate our championship [second-tier league] triumph last season. It would be a good test for us to face Everton following their success last season. “I hope that football fans will be happy to watch the game featuring Premier League sides like Leicester and Everton. I believe the two teams will do their very best,” Aiyawatt told a conference held shortly after the Everton arrival. 

Leicester manager Niger Pearson, who helped the club secure its promotion back to the English top-flight division in his second spell at the helm last season, was looking forward to a rare outing against league rivals outside England.

“With the unconditional support of King Power, we have been able to take the club back to the Premier League. I’m delighted to be part of this friendly match celebrating King Power 25th anniversary.

“We’re ready to play against Everton in Thailand, especially for Thai fans, who always give us a terrific reception,” said Pearson, whose side revisited the country in less than three months after their previous trip to the capital to celebrate their EPL promotion after dropping out of the top league in 2004.

The 50-year-old Englishman said his East Midlands club were obliged to put on a good show tomorrow in the country regarded as their “second” home.

“With the money, time and commitment of the owners, there’s obligation for us to ensure we play in the right way. But, that’s not the only factor. For us, it’s about continuing our preparations.

“I’m sure both sides want to take positives out of the match. Result is always important but results when you come to the actual Premier League are the most important thing. We want to get a good performance certainly. “We want to give a good account of ourselves to make sure every player who takes part is able to improve on what we’ve done in the pre-season so far.”

Pearson’s Spanish counterpart, Roberto Martinez was looking forward to having a rehearsal with Leicester before his charges visit the Thai-owned club at the King Power Stadium in their season opener on August 16.

“We’re gonna face each other on the opening day so that adds extra spice to the game. From my point of view, we’re trying to find competition for the places internally.

“Some of our players, who participated in the World Cup, they’re still recovering so they’ve not been with us here. That means a unique opportunity for our young players to show how ready they are, how ready they are to become part of the first-team.

“We need extra numbers for the extra games we have next season. So, it’s really an excitement,” said Martinez, referring to the matches in the European competition after his charges qualified for the Europa League by finishing fifth in the league last term.