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Claudio Ranieri hopes Leicester City relish Champions League adventure

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Ranieri does not fancy Leicester's chances of completing a second fairytale by winning the Champions League

Claudio Ranieri hopes his Leicester City players will enjoy their first venture into the Champions League and would love to still be in Europe come 2017.

The Premier League champions open their Group G schedule on Wednesday against Club Brugge in Belgium and also face Porto and FC Copenhagen.

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Ranieri is hopeful of qualifying for the knockout stages but would at least like his team to finish in a good enough position to reach the Europa League should qualification prove beyond them in their first attempt at the competition.

"We know it is very important, these matches, because there are two positions to go into the knockout, but also the third position is good for us," the Italian said.

Leicester City's English striker Jamie Vardy (2nd R) celebrates with Leicester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez (L) after scoring their first goal d
Image: Ranieri is looking forward to Leicester beginning their Champions League adventure in Belgium

"We need to make experience. It is important for us to go over Christmas and continue to play in Europe. Of course we want to go through to the knockout stages of the Champions League and if it is not possible, we want to go into the Europa League.

Club Brugge v Leicester preview
Club Brugge v Leicester preview

Claudio Ranieri's side prepare for Champions League debut

"Of course we have to change something [for this game], but we can't change our style. If we change our style, we don't give 100 per cent of Leicester football. Then we have to understand the match.

Danny Drinkwater looks on as Adam Lallana (L) shoots and scores Liverpool's third goal
Image: Leicester have struggled at the start of their title defence and lost 4-1 at Liverpool on Saturday

"It is good when the players believe in something. I think we wrote a fantastic fairytale last season because no one, including ourselves, believed it was possible at the start.

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"I think it is impossible, because there are so many big teams involved in this competition and to win the Champions League we have to write another big fairytale, the second story."

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