Foxes inspire 900-1 minnows Fastav Zlin in Czech Republic title race
Czech minnows who play in 6,000 capacity stadium are using the Foxes' counter-attacking approach to chase surprise title.
LEICESTER CITY inspired the football world when they won the Premier League last season.
And tiny Czech side Fastav Zlin are looking to emulate the Foxes' approach in a remarkable title challenge.
'Zlincester', as they are becoming known, are from a town of 75,000 people, have a playing budget of less than £1.5m and sit third in the Czech league, ahead of Sparta Prague and one point off top spot.
Their 900-1 title odds at the beginning of the season show that, although not quite as long a shot as the 5000-1 Foxes, they were tipped to be battling relegation.
But coach Bohumil Panik's side have taken the league by storm, coming from 2-0 down to draw at home to Jablonek at the weekend and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Known for their Leicester-style fast-paced, counter-attacking football, Zlin have already beaten defending champions and league leaders Viktoria Plzen 2-0 and held giants Sparta to a 1-1 draw.
"It's a nice comparison," Panik said of Claudio Ranieri's side. "It pleases me. Leicester is, for a small club like us, an example to follow."
"Leicester is a story that reminds me of a fairytale," he added. "I like fairytales."
Like Leicester, they only narrowly avoided relegation the previous year, beating the drop by just three points.
Fastav Zlin are now using their poor form in early-2016 as motivation for this campaign, says Panik.
"We hit the bottom in the spring. The players well remember that and don't want to go through it again. The team has learned a lesson."
In Saturday's game they found themselves facing a similar challenge to the Foxes in their title run-in as Jablonec changed their tactics, sat back and waited for Zlin to take the initiative.
It very nearly worked for the visitors but goals in the final 6 minutes from Vukadin Vukadinovic and Haris Harba saw Zlin snatch a late point to the delight of the home crowd.
"Given the development of the game, it's a victory for us that the team managed to come back," Panik said.