Burnley are prepared for emotional day at Leicester
Thursday 8 November 2018 15:59, UK
Burnley manager Sean Dyche and his players have said they are prepared for an emotional day when they take on Leicester on Saturday at the King Power Stadium.
The Clarets are the first opposition to play Leicester at home since the helicopter crash that killed their owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four other people on board.
Last week, Leicester won 1-0 over Cardiff and paid tribute to their owner who helped them along the way to win their first Premier League title in 2016.
Burnley's Chris Wood, who spent two years at Leicester between 2013 and 2015, and he said: "It's going to be a day filled with emotion.
"Khun Vichai was a great, respected person both at the club and in Leicester in general. There's going to be a lot of emotion around the game, so we're going to have to deal with that, pay our respects but then we have to be ready.
"It definitely hit me. He was a man who talked to everybody, he got to know everybody and he was a proper family man. He'd do anything for you.
"It did hit home, someone so close, so it will be nice to pay my respects when I'm there."
Dyche and his coaching staff attended Leicester's game against West Ham but left before the accident occurred.
He said: "All we've done is made the players aware we'll do everything we can to play our part if needed with the respect that's deserved.
"The people at Leicester have got enough on their plates but I spoke, just via text, to [director of football] Jon Rudkin, someone I class as a friend in football, and said if there's anything we can do at all, then we'll certainly do that.
"It's kind of touched everyone. I think the connection the owner and his family have with the club and the way they've helped develop the club, and very authentically it seems to me. A real, real shocking thing to happen, that's for sure."
During the first half of the game, Leicester players will wear shirts with "Khun Vichai" embroidered on them with a two-minute silence along with a tribute video being held before the game.
Foxes manager Claude Puel admitted "it has not been easy to prepare" his side for the match but overall "their togetherness" has provided a "good feeling".
