Leicester City midfielder Papy Mendy has backed his team to step up to the challenge following the departure of three players including Ghanaian Daniel Amartey for the 2017 AFCON.
EPL Champions Leicester will be without Amartey as well as winger Riyad Mahrez and striker Islam Slimani of Algeria.
The trio left for pre-AFCON camps after Monday's draw with Middlesbrough, and be unavailable for Leicester for at most six weeks.
“We know with Riyad [Mahrez], Islam [Slimani] and Daniel, the team is very strong," Mendy told LCFC TV.They have gone to the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Now, the players that are here will give their best in training to show to the manager that they are good players.”
He said: “It was a big change in formation for the team because we always play with two in midfield. Against Boro, we played with three in midfield and it was good because defensively, we were strong. We played well with three midfielders and that’s good for us in the next game.
“We are professionals so it’s normal to have good adaptation. Maybe we could play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, so it’s good for the team to improve.”