FA Cup

Brendan Rodgers hopes Leicester can learn from the "road of failure"

| 17 April 2021

Brendan Rodgers hopes Leicester can learn from the

The Foxes, who face the Saints in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, lost to Aston Villa at the same stage of the Carabao Cup last season.

Boss Brendan Rodgers wants Leicester to use their previous heartbreak to reach a historic FA Cup final.

The Foxes are aiming to reach their first final since 1969 when they face Southampton in the last four on Sunday.

It is their second semi-final under Rodgers after they suffered a surprise defeat to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup last season.

Leicester are again favourites against the Saints and Rodgers wants the pain against Villa to aid them at Wembley.

"That's what failure brings if you work the process well, you have to see it as a learning (process)," he said.

"Any team, any successful individual, you have to go down – unfortunately – that road of failure in order to learn.

"These players showed from that they are able to go on and respond and now we are in another semi-final. You are never guaranteed anything, no matter if your squad is brimming with talent, it's always a difficult game.

"Certainly the learning from that and being able to look back and reflect on it will hopefully help us this weekend.

"We'll be giving everything and we're super motivated. I trust the team that we can get a result."

James Maddison, Ayoze Perez and Hamza Choudhury are available after they were dropped for last weekend's defeat at West Ham for breaching coronavirus regulations having attended a party at Perez's house.

Leicester beat Southampton 2-0 in the Premier League in January and Rodgers insisted the Foxes must look to control their own destiny.

He said: "They are a very good side. Both teams lost their last games but we can only control the game we bring. If we play to a high level it'll give us a very good chance.

"Our focus is on ourselves and we have an opportunity to reach a major cup final and need to grasp it with both hands.

"When we arrived here our challenge was to compete in the league and cups. Each year we look to try and make a step forward. If we can get to the final it'll be another step forward for us."