Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers insists the Premier League clash against Aston Villa is not a revenge mission for his side.
Monday night’s opponents inflicted heartache on the Foxes a few weeks ago by denying them a trip to Wembley in the Carabao Cup, with Trezeguet’s injury-time goal sealing victory for Villa and sending them to the final.
Rodgers revealed that reaching the final of that competition was something Leicester had targeted at the beginning of the campaign.
However, he insists the Foxes’ only focus now is achieving another of their pre-season goals – qualifying for the Champions League.
“No, no revenge,” said Rodgers. “We played well in the league game there but in the semi-final Villa played very well and deserved to go through.
“In general in the games, we dominated. But they defended very well. We didn’t take our opportunities in the first leg and in the second leg, their keeper made three fantastic saves.
“We set six targets at the beginning of the season and one was to get to the final of the League Cup, we didn’t quite make it. Now, we are entering the last 10 games of the season and our other targets remain very much on track.
“Naturally any team – if you’re in this position – will want to finish in a Champions League position.”
While Leicester are hoping to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition, Villa are fighting for their lives towards the bottom of the Premier League table.
Rodgers insists league position counts for little at this stage of the season, saying: “In this period, whoever you’re playing on paper, it doesn’t matter.
“You get to this stage of the season, teams are going to be fighting for their lives. Every team is going to be pushing with a purpose and that’s no different to us.
“Villa have some very talented players and we know it will be another tough game. But really it’s about how we can hurt Aston Villa and we know that if we can bring our best game, we have a good chance of winning.”
Jamie Vardy is expected to return to the Leicester squad on Monday night.
The striker, who has scored 17 Premier League goals this season, has missed the last two matches with a calf injury but Rodgers is optimistic he will have his talisman back in contention.
While Vardy’s return will come as an undoubted boost, Leicester may be dealt a blow by the absence of left-back Ben Chilwell as he is nursing a hamstring problem.
