Pearson: Perform And Progress

And as City prepare to take on League 2 side Burton Albion in the FA Cup with Budweiser this Saturday, those words seem even more apt than usual.

Few would back against the Foxes, fifth in the npower Championship, against a side 51 places below them in the English football pyramid, if the hosts do indeed perform to their undoubted potential.

But the fabled ‘magic of the Cup’ always has the potential to level the playing field, making hitting the standards Pearson has come to expect of his talented squad a prerequisite.

Should they fail to do so, they need only cast their minds back to August, when .

“We’ve got to make sure our own game is right, that’s the bottom line,” Pearson said.

“The FA Cup always throws up a few shocks and we have to make sure we’re not one of them.

“It was a long time ago (the previous meeting in the League Cup), it wasn’t a game we performed well in, but it’s a totally different scenario.

“To say it’s about revenge is a little melodramatic; for us it’s about progressing through to the next round and hopefully getting another positive performance.”

“We have to make sure our application is right in this game and that we progress to the next round.”

A runner-up in the competition as a player with Middlesbrough in 1997, Pearson is familiar with the unique one-off sense of FA Cup ties and will be the last person to underestimate the Brewers, managed by former Fox Gary Rowett.

“They probably come into the game with very little pressure on them,” Pearson said.

“They’re coming to our place and, after the result we had against Huddersfield, people may already be trying to predict what the score-line will be.

“But I’m no fool; I’ve been involved in the FA Cup enough to have seen upsets along the way.

“For us, it’s a game we need to negotiate, but, if we do it with the right application, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Tickets for Saturday’s visit of Burton Albion in the FA Cup with Budweiser are on sale from   from the City Sales Centre on 0844 815 5000 or from the City Fanstore at King Power Stadium. Click the link below for more information.