Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has acknowledged that his team will need to deliver a "great performance" if they hope to secure any points from their Sunday clash with Manchester City.

Despite the fact that City are currently experiencing a slump, having lost nine of their last 13 matches across all competitions, Van Nistelrooy is under no illusions about the challenge his side faces.

Leicester themselves are struggling, having suffered three consecutive losses which have seen them slip into the Premier League's relegation zone. The Leicester boss is well aware that nothing less than perfection will suffice against City.

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"Everybody knows, when you look at the team and how they played (against Everton), I know the quality of that squad and manager so I am focusing on that and the quality we will face," Van Nistelrooy said.

"We have to prepare for a great performance in our side. Being where we are we need to be spot on in all parts of football to get a result.

"For us all the games we are playing are massive. We know a certain amount of points are necessary and every second of every game is important.

"It is something which needs constant improvement and pressure to perform and get results. It is from game to game, we evaluate the game and make a gameplan to get a result against City."

There may be some good news for the Foxes, as Jamie Vardy could potentially return on Sunday after missing the Boxing Day loss at Liverpool due to injury.

"Jamie had a small injury, a couple of knocks over the last week," Van Nistelrooy revealed.

"He wasn’t totally fit at Liverpool so we gave him some time to recover. Hopefully he can make it for Sunday. He has a good chance."

But key defender Wout Faes is a significant concern with an injury potentially ruling him out, alongside teammates Mads Hermansen, Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi, Abdul Fatawu, and Kasey McAteer who are already absent due to various injuries.

Goalkeeper Hermansen's absence will be felt acutely as he's been vital between the sticks, but it seems he won't be making a quick return.

Van Nistelrooy expressed his concern saying, adding: "Mads, it’s something that I think he’s going to need longer to recover from. He wants to try every time to see if he can make it, but I think it’s an injury that’s going to take a little bit more time.

"I want to give him that time, because we need a fully-fit Mads to help this club. We miss him, that’s the quality we need."