Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare backs Euro stars to stay up

London (AFP) – Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare is confident his Champions League heroes will be able to win their battle for Premier League survival.

Shakespeare’s side enjoyed a memorable 2-0 victory over Sevilla in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday as the English champions extended their impressive run in the competition.

Leicester were handed a quarter-final clash with Spanish team Atletico Madrid in Friday’s draw, but Shakespeare knows their European ambitions must be put to one side if they are to avoid relegation.

The Foxes head to West Ham on Saturday sitting just three points above the relegation zone and still waiting for their first away league win in 11 months.

Shakespeare, who has won all three of his matches since replacing the sacked Claudio Ranieri, doesn’t expect a hangover from the Champions League celebrations.

“I haven’t found it a challenge so far and I can only go on what I have experienced. The talk straight after the game was to improve the away record,” he said on Friday.

“I haven’t banned talk of the Champions League but after the game the focus, what I wanted, has been on West Ham.

“We’re in a professional industry and the players know it’s my job and the job of the staff to make sure the focus is there. To a man that’s what they have concentrated on.

“It’s not hard – there are good memories and nice memories but that’s what they are. The sole aim is the next Premier League game, as it’s been mentioned we have a poor away record.

“We want to move away from the relegation zone because it is tight down there but we can’t look too far ahead.”