EPL: Battle for top 4
Foxes want to fight for trophies
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
LONDON • Leicester City want to build on their FA Cup victory and challenge for greater honours next season even though they lack the financial muscle to compete with the Premier League's bigger clubs, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Friday.
The Foxes are fifth in the standings - level on 66 points with Liverpool and one behind Chelsea - after dropping out of the top four for the first time this season after Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Blues.
"We want to fight for trophies," Rodgers stressed.
"If we could become a sustainable club in European football, that shows we're successful. Commercially, we're 10th. For budget, we are eighth.
"It will be difficult to compete with clubs three or four times our budget but it doesn't stop us fighting. The lowest we will finish is sixth this season."
Leicester go into today's fixture against Tottenham Hotspur behind fourth-placed Liverpool on goal difference - the Reds have a four-goal advantage - and, barring a huge win over Spurs, they will miss out on reaching the Champions League if Liverpool beat Crystal Palace.
Rodgers said though they were ecstatic at winning the FA Cup for the first time in history, they would be disappointed if they did not finish in the top four as they fight "two of Europe's biggest clubs" for the final two places.
The Foxes also missed out on a Champions League berth on the last day of last season.
"We would have no one (else) to blame. We take the responsibility ourselves, we'll fight to the end," Rodgers added.
"What we don't want is for the door to be open for us and us not to walk through it. So we need to get a victory and see where it takes us.
"Our concentration is on winning the game against a talented Spurs team. If we finish on 69 points and don't make it into the Champions League, we have been unfortunate."
Rodgers confirmed that injured defender Jonny Evans would miss the clash.
REUTERS
LEICESTER V TOTTENHAM
Singtel TV Ch104 & StarHub Ch229, 10.50pm
-
36
Weeks Leicester have been in the Premier League's top four before they dropped to fifth in midweek, following their loss to Chelsea and Liverpool's win over Burnley.
