Cifuentes ‘Excited' For FA Cup Clash In Cheltenham

Next Match | Saturday 18 April Sat 18 Apr

POR

(A)

01 D

15 H

18 M

52 S

Interviews & Features

Heritage

Photos

Cifuentes ‘Excited' For FA Cup Clash In Cheltenham

Returning from Cheltenham Town with a positive result requires Leicester City to ‘match the energy and desire’ of Saturday’s lower league opponents, according to Martí Cifuentes.

2026-01-10T07:45+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

10 Jan, 2026

Cifuentes ‘Excited' For FA Cup Clash In Cheltenham

Returning from Cheltenham Town with a positive result requires Leicester City to ‘match the energy and desire’ of Saturday’s lower league opponents, according to Martí Cifuentes.

Sam Jones

2026-01-10T07:45+00:00

Cifuentes ‘Excited' For FA Cup Clash In Cheltenham

Returning from Cheltenham Town with a positive result requires Leicester City to ‘match the energy and desire’ of Saturday’s lower league opponents, according to Martí Cifuentes.

Sam Jones

2026-01-10T07:45+00:00

Cifuentes ‘Excited' For FA Cup Clash In Cheltenham

Returning from Cheltenham Town with a positive result requires Leicester City to ‘match the energy and desire’ of Saturday’s lower league opponents, according to Martí Cifuentes.

Sam Jones

2026-01-10T07:45+00:00

Cifuentes ‘Excited' For FA Cup Clash In Cheltenham

Returning from Cheltenham Town with a positive result requires Leicester City to ‘match the energy and desire’ of Saturday’s lower league opponents, according to Martí Cifuentes.

Sam Jones

2026-01-10T07:45+00:00

Emirates FA Cup action begins for Premier League and Sky Bet Championship clubs this weekend, with the Foxes heading to Gloucestershire for a third round tie against the Robins at The EV Charger Points Stadium (12:15pm GMT kick-off).

Ahead of the trip, City’s Manager spoke to the assembled media to discuss this fixture and more, as our attention turns to the FA Cup for the first time in 25/26.

‘Part of the tradition’

Saturday's venue, with fans close up to the pitch.

Just two previous competitive matches have played out between the teams, during the 2008/09 League 1 season, and the excitement of such an occasion has led to a near sold-out stadium for this upcoming encounter.

The Sky Bet League 2 outfit, currently 18th in the fourth tier, will no doubt be right up for trying to cause an upset in round three of the historic cup competition and Cifuentes outlined how his side can avoid such a scenario.

"It’s a fantastic, beautiful competition,” the Spaniard told reporters gathered inside LCFC Training Ground on Thursday afternoon. “It’s a big part of the tradition of English football, especially with the history that Leicester have in that sense.

“We’re obviously excited to start in a challenging game because always, in these games, when you play against a team like Cheltenham, it’s going to be a big game for them.

“That’s the beauty of the game, of the competition. We’re going to play against a team who will feel it’s a fantastic [opportunity], I think it’s sold out already. It’s going to be important for us and it must be because we want to do well in this competition.

“We need to match the energy, the desire and we need to be ready for a tough game because of the conditions as well.

“It’s always a nice opportunity for all the teams to play against each other, it doesn’t matter [about] the division and the position in the table. I’m looking forward to having a good game and a good performance.”

‘Balance the schedule’

In conversation with journalists earlier this week.

Potentially presenting another opportunity for several Academy youngsters to be given a chance to shine, the game is one that Leicester cannot take for granted, Cifuentes warned, eager to gain better results on a much more regular basis, after producing inconsistent form over the Christmas period.

“We definitely know that the target during the season has been to improve our consistency,” he stated. “We are working on it in training, we are working on it every week and it’s something that we are eager to show that we can correct.

“For us, the target is the next game, as I always say to the guys as well. During the games it’s about the next action. Now we’ve got a new opportunity in a new competition that we want to build on from the last result.

“It’s a different competition but the target is always the same; to try and win, show a good level of performance and it will not be an exception. We are thinking about some players who are training well, doing well coming from the bench and perhaps have an opportunity, but we are going to play a strong team and I have huge respect for the competition.

“When I pick an XI to start, I always think about the next game, it’s never about checking their age. When young players have the chance to play from the start or from the bench, it’s because we felt it was fully deserved and they could help us to win the game and that will be the case once again.

“We’re going to try to balance this busy schedule that we’ve had over the last weeks because that is a need, a must, but at the same time trying to win the game because that’s always the target.”

LATEST HEADLINES

Rowett: James & Ramsey Assessed Pre-Pompey Gary Rowett revealed that Jordan James and Aaron Ramsey are being monitored prior to our trip to Portsmouth.

6 Hours 36 Mins Ago

Pompey Clash Live On Foxes Hub We're at Fratton Park this Saturday lunchtime - here's how to follow the action across Foxes Hub.

7 Hours 41 Mins Ago

McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph Leon McSweeney believes our Under-21s were rewarded for a high level of performance produced during the 3-2 success over Leeds United on Monday.

15 Apr, 2026

Foxes On Target In World Cup Qualifiers Hannah Cain and Sari Kees both netted in recent FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, while Emily van Egmond scored for Australia.

15 Apr, 2026