Harvey Barnes is optimistic Leicester City can transfer their European form to the domestic scene as they look to revive their Premier League campaign.
Leicester’s only hope of silverware this season is in the Europa Conference League and they advanced into the last-16 by sweeping aside Randers 7-2 on aggregate, defeating their Danish opposition 3-1 in the second leg on Thursday.
The competition has been a welcome distraction from their top-flight troubles, where injuries to Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne and Jamie Vardy has been followed by a winless start to 2022 and a slide to 12th in the table.
But Barnes is hopeful they can get back to winning ways, starting against Burnley at Turf Moor next Tuesday.
“It’s going to be another tough game,” the winger told LCFC TV. “Away at Burnley is never an easy game.
“But after this win and, in the last few weeks, we’ve played some good football and scored some good goals, so we’ll go there full of confidence, and we’ll go there looking for three points.”
Barnes was drafted back into the XI on a bobbly Cepheus Park Randers pitch and gave Leicester, who went into the return leg after a 4-1 win at the King Power Stadium last week, an even bigger cushion after 100 seconds.
Randers spurned several opportunities to at least drag themselves back into the contest on the evening and were punished by James Maddison’s double before Stephen Odey scored a late consolation for the hosts.
Leicester, who failed to progress from the group stage of the Europa League, will next face Rennes, with the first leg of the tie to be played on March 10 at the King Power Stadium and the return in France a week later.
“It’s a great chance for us to go and get some silverware. We’ve put ourselves in a good position into the last-16,” Barnes said. “I think we knew coming here that it was going to be a difficult game.
“Obviously we had a good lead from the first leg, but the pitch made it difficult, I think, so that was something to deal with.
“The early goal put us in a good position. For that to come at an early stage of the game, it was important for us, because that first goal was always going to be important, especially in a tie like this.
“It was a great start and we kicked on really well. Throughout the game we did alright. We weren’t playing to our best, but we felt we controlled the game and to go and get the other goals as well, it was a good night’s work.”
