OMNISPORT

Claudio Ranieri does not expect Leicester City's remarkable title bid to become the norm in the Premier League. 

Leicester boasts a five-point advantage at the summit with nine matches to play, confounding most expectations that its high-flying form would fade to make way for one of the Premier League's traditional heavyweights to take the lead.

But as clubs prepare to have their bank balances enhanced by next season's television rights deal, Ranieri feels the established order could once again have things going its own way this time next year.

"It could be a change this year but next year — restart," he told a news conference ahead of Monday's home match against Newcastle United. "Every decade or 20 years something strange could happen. For this reason it could be this year and then nevermore. I don't know if this is a one-off. It's crazy numbers, a crazy league and anything could happen."

Despite Leicester's lofty status, with Tottenham its nearest challenger and Manchester City 10 points behind with a game in hand in fourth, Ranieri refuses to consider his team to be the favorite for the title.

Arsenal is in FA Cup action this weekend and Arsene Wenger's third-place team would be 11 points off the pace if Leicester piles further misery upon struggling Newcastle with victory at the King Power Stadium.

"No. For me, we are the same. For me, the favorites are the others, of course," Ranieri said. "It doesn't matter [if we go 11 points above Arsenal]. We have to fight and at the end we can say we achieved this.

"We are in the Europa League, fantastic. We are in the Champions League, amazing. Everybody is a threat because the league this year is crazy. You know my idea and I still have this idea."