Featuring in their first FA Cup semi-final for 39 years, Leicester City face Southampton with the hopes of reaching the final and winning the club's maiden trophy in the competition.
The Foxes' earned their trip to Wembley Stadium with a 3-1 win over Manchester United, while Southampton's comfortable 3-0 victory over Bournemouth saw them book their place alongside them.
Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media ahead of his side's historic outing as he addressed the match itself, as well as the fallout of the controversies off the field.
Here are some of the highlights of what was said during his pre match press conference:
On the occasion
“You don’t need to magnify it anymore than what it is," said Rodgers.
"The magnitude of the game is clear. You don’t need to shine a torch on it any more. Ability to have self control is important, especially when you are under pressure.
"We want to arrive in the final but we can only do that by performing well. If you get too nervous, it can immobilise you. You don’t overdo the week, you give clarity to the team. We can control what we do and if we can play to a high level, we will have a good chance.”
The build up to the match has rightly focused on the fact that it is the East Midland side's first appearance in the semi-final for nearly 40 years, making it a huge occasion for the club and one they will want to make the most of.
Not only that, but the club have not featured in the FA Cup Final since 1969, which ended in defeat at the hands of Manchester City a potential opponent in this year's final should the Foxes beat Southampton.
The hype and the narrative surrounding the match has been strong, but Rodgers has emphasised that his players must not let the occasion get to them if they want to give themselves the best chance of reaching the final.
On the club's history in the FA Cup
“I’m fully aware. I’m relaxed about it, but motivated. I know they want to win the FA Cup. I’m looking forward to seeing us play. Hopefully we can do it for the supporters. I’ve been made aware of the history, losing four finals. That gives me a greater motivation to help the team achieve that.”
It is well documented that Leicester hold the record for the most FA Cup final appearances without winning the competition (4), and has been an ever present feature in Rodgers' pre match press conferences during their cup run.
The Leicester manager will be trying to use this stat to his advantage as he looks to galvanise his players ahead of each cup game. The idea that the squad could be the group of players to bring the historic cup back to Leicester for the first time ever could be a very powerful motivational tool and fans of the club will be hoping that this idea is transferred onto the pitch.
The current crop have already broken the quarter final barrier for the first time in 39 years, showing that they have the mentality to break hoodoos and have every chance of continuing their path and reaching the final.
On injuries
“Cengo [Under] will be available. He’s trained with the squad this week. Harvey [Barnes], no, he’s still a number of weeks away. We’re hoping he can get out onto the field in the next couple of weeks.”
[On Caglar Soyuncu] "He’s absolutely fine. He’s looked terrific in training this week.”
Rodgers delivered both good and bad news when asked about players coming back into contention.
Turkish duo Cengiz Under and Caglar Soyuncu will both be available for the game. Under had missed five games due to a thigh problem, while Soyuncu was unavailable for the last two games due to contracting COVID-19 while on international duty.
However, despite the initial six week estimation for the return of Harvey Barnes, the winger is still expected to be out for a number of weeks after having surgery on his knee last month.
On the returning party-goers
“It was always going to be the case. We dealt with it last week when they trained separately. We had a meeting at the beginning of this week. We accepted their apology. They were sincere, they knew they made a mistake. There was a real good energy in the squad. This could galvanise us.”
The build up to the crucial game against West Ham United last weekend was somewhat disrupted as James Maddison, Ayoze Perez and Hamza Choudhury were all dropped from the squad after having attended a party at Perez's house, with the Foxes subsequently losing the game despite a late fightback.
Since then, the trio have been reintegrated into the squad and will be available for selection once again, something that Rodgers believes may work in his side's favour mentally as the squad is made whole again.
On the return of a crowd
“It’s great, and it’s a start to getting supporters back. The game is about the connection between players and supporters. All players have done so well to be competitive without fans. The edge is off the game when there are no fans.”
As society tries to get back to normality, the FA Cup game between the Foxes and the Saints represents a test event as supporters are eased back into stadiums.
Due to the 4,000 tickets being limited to those local to the area and key workers, there may not necessarily be supporters of either Leicester or Southampton in the ground during the huge encounter between the two sides.
Despite this, both teams will be relishing the opportunity to play in front of spectators as the country eases out of restrictions, as will the crowd be relishing the opportunity to watch live football once again.