Marti Cifuentes will carry out a head count as his Leicester City players return from international commitments – before slotting them into his preparations for this weekend’s Championship restart.
The Foxes manager will do so encouraged by the encouraging triumph over Swansea City last time out, with his side currently third in the table and facing a sequence of fixtures that provides an opportunity, if not guaranteed wins.
Patson Daka could miss up to eight Leicester City games when he departs to represent Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations in December.
Daka has started City’s previous two fixtures and, following the recent improvement in form, may be cementing himself as Marti Cifuentes’ preferred striker.
However, rotation will be required throughout the hectic festive schedule, with Daka almost certain to be named in the Zambia squad heading to the competition in Morocco.
Daka would miss a minimum of three City fixtures while on international duty, but his absence could stretch to as many as eight depending on Zambia’s progress.
The Chipolopolo begin their campaign against Mali on Monday, December 22, meaning Daka will likely be unavailable for City’s clash with QPR on Saturday, December 20, with the forward expected to have already joined up with his national team by then.
He will also sit out the festive encounters against Watford on Boxing Day and Derby on Monday, December 29.
It would be a major challenge for him to feature in the meeting with Sheffield United on New Year’s Day, though not entirely impossible.
If Zambia exit at the group stage, their final match will take place on the evening of December 29. Should Daka be considered fit to resume immediately, he could make a swift return to England and be back in contention for the fixture against the Blades.
If Zambia reach the final, Daka would also miss Championship matches versus West Brom, Coventry, and Wrexham, along with the FA Cup third round.
However, it would be a surprise if they advanced that far, with Zambia listed as 100-1 outsiders to lift the trophy.
They do, nevertheless, stand a fair chance of progressing beyond the group stage. The top two from each group qualify automatically for the round of 16, while the best four of the six third-placed nations also advance. Zambia will face Mali, Comoros, and Bilal El Khannouss’s Morocco in Group A.
The positive news for City is that Ghana failed to qualify in dramatic fashion, despite being one of Africa’s footballing powerhouses. This means both Abdul Fatawu and Jordan Ayew will stay available for Leicester throughout the tournament.
It will therefore be Ayew and Julian Carranza battling for the centre-forward role during Daka’s absence.