England striker Jamie Vardy has warned Leicester City's Champions League rivals they mean business in he competition.
The Foxes face Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Belgium on Wednesday in their opening group fixture.
Vardy had the chance to play in the Champions League for Arsenal this season but turned down a move to the Emirates.
Now
he says he wants the Foxes to make an impact on the competition, given
English clubs have struggled at Europe's elite level in recent years.
"We definitely want to make a mark in this tournament," Vardy told
Reuters. "We don't just want to sit there and roll over and get beat
every time we play in the Champions League.
"We want to give it a
good go. I think if we play anywhere near how we have played,
especially all last season, then why can't we..." the 29-year-old added.
Vardy
said Champions League football would be another chance for the
unheralded club from the East Midlands of England to prove themselves on
the biggest stage, and that the players were determined to enjoy it.
"But we're not there just to be walked all over," he added.
Claudio
Ranieri's side have been placed in Group G alongside Porto, Copenhagen
and Brugge, who have picked up just seven points from their opening six
Belgian league matches.
And despite remaining upbeat about his club's chances, Vardy knows they will have their work cut out.
"I
think every game in our group will be tough. It doesn't matter who you
are playing, they've qualified for a reason - because of how well they
did last year and they'll only want to improve this season.
"You've just got to turn up and make sure you're on the ball when the game time comes, and hopefully pick the wins up."
Vardy's
goal scoring exploits fired Leicester to the club's first-ever English
league title by 10 points last season after netting 24 goals.
As
the Champions embark on their title defence, Ranieri has urged referees
to protect Vardy as he prepared for life as a 'marked man'.
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