Ahead of the EPL match, defender Ricardo Pereira talks about his time at the club, the difference between club and country football, his recent injury and more.
Leicester City's Ricardo Pereira (c). Picture/ AFP
Leicester City is all set to go head-to-head with Aston Villa in the English Premier League tie on Sunday. Portugues footballer and Leicester City defender Ricardo Pereira is all geared up for their clash. Ahead of the EPL match, defender Ricardo Pereira talks about his time at the club, the difference between club and country football, his recent injury and more.
Excerpts:
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Q: Ricardo, you’ve been at Leicester for a number of years now, how much are you enjoying playing in the club?
Ricardo Pereira: Very, yes, it’s been very good years for me to play in the Premier League, to play in a club like Leicester, to know the foundations of the club too. The spirit, everyone helping everyone like a family and it’s been great for me.
Q: You’ve played at the highest level in Portugal, France and England. How do the countries and leagues compare?
Ricardo Pereira: I would say, perhaps, some similarities between each league, but here for sure it’s more intense, the level is higher. In Portugal, I think in terms of comparing all three countries, is the lowest level but still in terms of quality, it’s not a big difference but for sure here in every team, you have great players that can make the difference.
Q: You have recently come back from a lengthy injury – how frustrating was it to be on the sidelines?
Ricardo Pereira: It’s very difficult, especially in the beginning, when you receive the bad news and you know you’re going to be away for a long time. When the team is struggling with bad results, you want to be there to help, to be part of the team, to do your best to help and you can’t, so it’s really difficult.
Q: Since returning, the manager has played you a little further up the pitch a couple of times – how have you found that?
Ricardo Pereira: Normal because when I was young, I used to play as a winger. I just started to play as a right-back when I was 18, 19, so it’s not a new position for me. It’s just changing the chip!
Q: What is your best position in your opinion?
Ricardo Pereira: If you ask me that some years ago, I would say winger, but now right back. I’m more used to playing there, but I feel comfortable to play a little bit more upfront.
Q: The team are battling on three fronts with the Premier League, FA Cup, and Europa League – what do you think the club can achieve this season?
Ricardo Pereira: I think we have we can achieve good things this year. We know we have still a long way to go till the end, a lot of things can happen in the meanwhile, but I think we have to go game by game, doing our best and hopefully, arriving at the end within a good position.
Leicester City is currently third on the EPL points table with 46 points (equalling Manchester United) from 24 games while Manchester City is in the lead and 10 points ahead with 56.
Catch all the live action of Premier League and tune-in to watch Leeds United v Wolves on Sunday, 20 February 2021 at 1:30 AM only on Star Sports Select
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