Bruce calls for "more of the same" on Sunday

The Magpies drew 0-0 with champions Liverpool in their last game of 2020 on Wednesday, and the United head coach was encouraged by not only the result but also the display from his players who were, he acknowledged, on the front foot more against the league leaders than they have been in many other matches this term. 

And he is demanding a similar showing against Brendan Rodgers' Foxes, who started the new year in third place and just four points off the summit. 

Bruce admitted that Wednesday's match could give United more belief after a tough few weeks which have included a Covid-19 outbreak at the training ground and a Carabao Cup quarter-final exit at Brentford, but he insisted: "My job is to prepare and plan - it doesn't matter what the result was, I've still got to prepare and plan what we're going to do against Leicester.

"Yes, we've had a really good result which gives a bit of confidence to everybody, but I think it was the manner (of the performance) which we needed to do after disappointing so many a couple of weeks ago. So more of the same, and improve, and see what we can do."

He added: "We've set a certain standard, and the thing that pleased me was we were higher up the pitch. In the past, we've sat too deep and it's something we've tried to address.

"It's not been easy to address because we've played a certain way for a long time, so slowly but surely we're getting the ideas of what we're looking for. 

"My defenders have played in a 'low block', as they call it, for a long time so to take them and get them out of that, and try and get them up the pitch 20 yards so we can be more of an attacking threat, and closer to the centre forward, is something we've been working on over the last few weeks."

Since narrowly avoiding relegation in 2014/15, Leicester have established themselves as a leading top flight club in recent seasons, winning the title against all the odds in 2016 and finishing fifth last term.

They are on course to do even better this time around, and Bruce said: "They've been very canny in the transfer market again and took in some really top players, and they've got a centre forward who is the envy of most. He's a terrific player, (Jamie) Vardy.

"They're a very, very good team - that's why they're sitting healthily like they are. They just missed out last year on the top four, on the last day, so they've been a very good side now for a couple of years."

Bruce has reported no fresh injury problems, but will still be without Jamaal Lascelles and Allan Saint-Maximin for the first match of 2021, with the pair suffering from the after-effects of Covid-19 - although Lascelles has been back at the training ground in recent days. Isaac Hayden will serve a one-game suspension on Sunday after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season against Liverpool.

"Our big two at the moment are the skipper and Saint-Maximin," said Bruce. "The skipper's making better progress than Allan so we might see him - I can't see him for Leicester, but for Arsenal? Maybe, Jamaal might be in the mix. I certainly can't see Allan for the foreseeable future."

Latest videos

Steve Bruce's pre-Leicester media briefing in full