Newcastle target James Maddison and Harvey Barnes on the bench as Leicester boss Dean Smith explains shock omissions

Leicester boss Dean Smith said his side must be harder to beat as he explained his decision to drop James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.

The pair, both linked with Newcastle, are a shocking omission from the Foxes’ starting line-up for their crucial clash against their Champions League opponents on Monday night.

Leicester are in the midst of a relegation battle as they are three points from safety, with the Premier League season reaching its peak on Sunday.

Smith opted to make three changes to the Leicester side which lost 3-0 to Liverpool last week and the manager suggested it was his team’s pitfalls in defense that were the reason for Maddison’s abandonment and Barnes.

On his starting XI, Smith told Sky Sports: “We decided to change it. We have to be harder to beat.

“The last two games we needed a lot of goals to win them, so we had to make a change. We picked a team that we think can compete.

Leicester have conceded the third most goals in the Premier League this season, scoring 67 goals in what has been a miserable campaign for the 2015/16 champions.

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