'This Is Just What Newport Need At The Moment'
- Leicester City head to Newport County in the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday (4:30pm GMT kick-off)
- South Wales Argus journalist Andrew Penman provides an insight into the Sky Bet League 2 outfit
- Penman believes the Exiles will relish the opportunity to test themselves against City
- LCFC Radio will provide live and free coverage of the tie from 2:30pm GMT
City head to South Wales in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup and they will come up against a side who last season defeated Leeds United and took Tottenham Hotspur to a fourth round replay.
While the Exiles’ form in Sky Bet League 2 has been disappointing, the unique experience of playing a Premier League side could be beneficial for Michael Flynn’s men, Penman believes.
“There’s definitely some hope after what happened last season and, because of the nature of the Spurs game, people forget that they also beat Leeds,” he told LCFC Radio.
“They were two very good results against teams at the top of end of the overall league ladder.
“They gave Spurs a real scare in the fourth round before being edged out in the replay at Wembley, so there’s definitely a hope that they can raise their game again against Leicester.
“It would be a massive upset but there’s certainly some hope.”
Penman also says that Sunday’s 4:30pm GMT kick-off, a clash which is likely to attract a large TV audience, is a welcome distraction for Newport, who sit 12th the fourth tier.
“It’s just what they need at the moment,” he added. “It’s been a disappointing December, they’re without a league win since November, the only win was against Wrexham in the cup.
“It’s been a combination of things. It’s a small squad and they’ve been hit by injuries which have taken their toll.
“Some of the players who impressed at the start of the season have lost form and they’ve also been missing quite a lot of chances in games they should have won.
“An FA Cup tie in front of the TV cameras against a big Premier League outfit, the players and the management staff are relishing it and certainly the fans are as well.”
Penman also highlighted two players key to Newport’s cup run last season as potential threats for Claude Puel’s men over the weekend.
“Pádraig Amond is one man Leicester need to watch because he’s got 15 goals this season and he also scored the goal against Tottenham last season.
“He is the main danger man in terms of goals while, in terms of supplying the opportunities, another player for Leicester to be aware of is Robbie Willmott.
“He provided the assist for Amond against Spurs last season and he also gave Leeds a really tough time as well.”
You can hear the Opposition View in full, as well as full commentary of the tie, live and for free on LCFC Radio from 2:30pm GMT on Sunday.