Leicester City know that only a win will do if they are to reach the last 16 of the Europa League, as they face Slavia Prague in the second leg of the Round of 32 tie.

Last week's first leg meeting at the Sinobo Stadium ended in a  goalless draw between the two, meaning it is all to play for at the King Power Stadium on Thursday night.

Both sides come into the fixture off the back of different results in their respective league campaigns - Leicester with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa and Slavia drawing away to FK Teplice as they remain unbeaten domestically

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers sat down in front of the media virtually at Leicester's state of the art training facility on Wednesday as he looks to take his side to the next round of the tournament.

On the importance of Europe

Since the first moments Brendan Rodgers walked through the doors of Leicester City almost two years ago, the word on everyone's mouth was European football.

They'd achieved it once in the Champions League  back in the 2016/17 season and had flirtations with continental football in the late 90's early 00's but it is something that Rodgers wants to become a regular addition to his and the club's calendar.

When asked how he felt personally, the 48-year-old stressed that his priority is on focusing what is best for the club and not for himself personally. 

"From a personal perspective, my focus is on what we want to do as a football club" says Rodgers. 

"I want to help the club build its history, but I don’t think about my team's success in a personal way."

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On the availability of James Maddison

Injuries haven't been kind to Leicester this season and on the eve of yet another crucial game for the East Midlanders, they will have to do it without one of their star players.

Rodgers confirmed that James Maddison would be unavailable for Thursday's fixture.

The 24-year-old scored the opener in the win at Villa Park on Sunday but limped off after suffering an injury during the game and his manager broke the news that he will play no part.

He said: "He won’t be available for the game, he’s in contact with doctors and specialists."

"The hip has just been irritated, where he had the injury before. He’s seeing a doctor today to get a second opinion. Once we have that we’ll work out a plan to get him back into the team."

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On missing Maddison

The announcement of Maddison's injury will no doubt be a disappointment to Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City, but if this season is anything to go bye, it's that there are players in the ranks that are more than capable of stepping up to the plate when called upon.

Although it is uncertain as to who will replace the England International, Rodgers has faith that they can perform on the night.

"When you have quality players out, it's a shame. If they're not available, so I can't overthink it" said the Foxes boss.

"We have players who can come in and I'm confident we can get the job done."

On the prospect of penalties 

Of course it's not worth forgetting that if the two sides fail to find a winner again - even with extra-time - that the tie could well be resolved by a penalty shoot-out.

The Northern Irishman admits that whilst he has belief in his penalty takers, he would prefer the game didn't have to come to that outcome.

He said: "We always anticipate what the game will look like. If we get to penalties, I’ve got really good penalty takers. But the job for us is pretty straightforward – win the game and we’re through."

On challenging in multiple competitions 

The form of Leicester City this season has been a joy to behold and it is one of the main factors behind the reason why they are still competing on three front in different competitions.

Juggling their European commitments with a battle for a top-four spot in the Premier League whilst also preparing for the quarter-finals of an FA Cup and the Leicester boss heaped praise on his players for their performances.

He said: "The players' readiness and the work we put in. We knew it wasn't going to be about 11 players, it was going to be about the squad. The professionalism has shone through, because when players have been training so intensely so that when they do come in, they play to a high level.

"The tactical flexibility of the team has helped. They deserve a huge amount of credit for where we are so far, but there's still a long way to go. Everything is calm, and we still have a long way to go in the season."