Swansea manager Michael Duff believes Leicester will win the Championship and are a better team than last year’s champions Burnley.
Swansea go in search of a fifth straight league victory when they host the Foxes on Saturday.
Duff says a meeting with Leicester, who have won 10 of their 11 league games this term, is “probably the toughest game of the season”.
“I think they will win the league,” the 45-year-old former Barnsley boss said.
“I think they are better than Burnley last year, which probably tells you everything.”
Leicester are top of the Championship having scored 23 league goals and conceded only six so far this season.
They have retained much of the squad which was relegated from the Premier League last year, but are playing eye-catching football under Enzo Maresca, who left his role as Manchester City’s assistant coach to take charge at the King Power Stadium in June.
“We will have to suffer without the ball at times because they are a very good team, but what we don’t want to do is just sit in a block of 10 men behind the ball and hope to survive for 95 minutes,” Duff added.
“I think we have proved in the last few weeks that we can play and that we can defend.
“We will have to be at our best, no doubt about it, but there’s no apprehension. We will go out intent on trying to win the game.”
Former Parma boss Maresca took over at Leicester six days after helping Manchester City complete the Treble by beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Duff says there are “a lot of similarities” in terms of playing style between Maresca’s Leicester and Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions.
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“Teams have gone different ways about trying to beat them and they have worked it out every time because they have got good players,” he said.
“We will have to try and come up with something and impose us on them.”
Swansea are 12th in the Championship having turned their form around after a difficult start to the season.
They will be boosted on Saturday by the return of Kristian Pedersen after a groin injury, while Ben Cabango is doubtful because of a hamstring problem, but should be back in action next week.
Duff, meanwhile, says American forward Kristian Fletcher will train with his squad having scored six goals in six appearances for Swansea’s under-21s.
The 18-year-old DC United player – who holds a British passport – is on a short-term loan which runs until January, but Swansea may look to extend his stay in Wales.
“I think he wants to play in Europe, he’s made it quite clear,” Duff said. “The next step is to have a look at him with the first team and see where he sits from there.”
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