So far this season, Leicester’s form has been very inconsistent, partially due to having to contend with the Europa League, as well as the unavailability of key players.
AFCON 2021 will likely further hamper Brendan Rodgers’ sides preparations for matches against Everton, Burnley, Brighton and potentially Liverpool, as both Wilfried Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho have both been selected by Nigeria, whilst Daniel Amartey and Nampalys Mendy are set to represent Ghana and Senegal.
Amartey has proven himself to be a valuable squad player for the Foxes since joining from FC Copenhagen in 2016, often filling in for absent defenders, as he did alongside Ndidi in their 1-0 victory over Liverpool, whilst Iheanacho offers a good alternative to the likes of Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy up-front and will be hoping to use the upcoming tournament in Cameroon to re-find his goalscoring form.
Leicester are currently just six points off the European football places and will be hoping that they can see out some vital fixtures without some key players.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace are just one place behind the Foxes, trailing them by two points having played two more matches in the Premier League, but, are enduring a good season under Patrick Vieira.
The Eagles will be missing the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Jeffrey Schlupp and Cheick Kouyate who will be representing the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal at AFCON, meaning that Vieira sees his attacking options depleted, as well as losing some key squad players. Palace will have to go without these players against Brighton, Liverpool and potentially Norwich.