Cup Progression Would Be Big, Says Appleton
- Michael Appleton says Leeds United will arrive at King Power Stadium in a buoyant mood following their 3-0 win at Bristol City
- The Foxes host Thomas Christiansen's on Tuesday evening in Round 4 of the Carabao Cup (7:45pm kick-off)
- Appleton believes it is a good opportunity to give a number of players a run out
Having already beaten Sheffield United and Liverpool in the competition, the Foxes host high-flying Championship outfit Leeds United in Round 4 on Tuesday evening at King Power Stadium (7:45pm kick-off).
Appleton knows that given Leeds' productive start to the campaign, the tie will not be a straight forward one, but they will no doubt be boosted by Saturday's significant victory at Swansea City.
"It's a big game," said Appleton. "They've had a fantastic win away from home today (Saturday) so they're going to be buoyant. It's an opportunity for both sides to progress into the last eight which is a big thing for the Football Club.
"Leeds are the type of club where you come into cup competitions and it almost feels like they're a Premier League side anyway because of the following that they'll probably bring on Tuesday.
"It's going to be exciting. Again, we'll look at it in terms of players coming in and players being rested for the weekend. I'm mindful of the fact that over the two games, we've made certain changes, but we made sure we won those games. It'll be no different on Tuesday."
As in previous rounds, City are likely to make a number of changes to their starting XI for the visit of Thomas Christiansen's men, giving those that have had limited game time a chance to show what they are made of.
The Caretaker Manager added: "It's a completely different competition and that's the reason why I feel cup competitions are important. Where I've come from, we've done ever so well in cup competitions.
"We were usually an underdog a lot of the time, but I believe that if you've got a squad of 18 or 22 players, if you're struggling to give them opportunities in the league fixtures, the cup competitions can be really good.
"The fact that we've come through two tough games so far, hopefully they'll see it as an opportunity to impress. You've only got to look at the selections that will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
"You talk about the big clubs not taking them seriously, but when you get to the quarter-final and semi-final stage and even the last-16, then all of a sudden one or two of the big hitters start getting some game time unlike the earlier rounds."