Daka: A Big Moment For Us

- Leicester City are seeking maximum points from Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash with Spartak Moscow, Patson Daka says
- Daka explains what it’s been like for him to work with striker Jamie Vardy
- The City No.29 discusses the huge support he has received from his fellow Zambians
- He scored four goals in his latest Europa League game for the Club

On matchday four of their Group C campaign, Leicester welcome the Russian outfit to Filbert Way in the hope of registering their second European victory of the 2021/22 campaign.

Daka scored four goals in the 4-3 win over Spartak in Moscow last month, and with a chance to move top of the group, depending on other results, the Zambia star says his side are targeting maximum points from the encounter.

He told the media on Wednesday: “I’m really excited and looking forward, everyone in the team is excited about working tomorrow. We’re just looking forward to doing our very best and taking our chances.

“Every game is important, and we cannot afford to lose any game, especially when we’re playing at home in front of our fans. They’ve got huge expectations for us, and it’s a very big moment for us as a club.

“We just want to take maximum points and we’ll see what will happen next. Otherwise, we’ll just focus on this game and make sure that we give our best.

“I’m sure their focus and attention is on me, but I think it’s also a great opportunity for other players in the team because if they concentrate on me, they’ll leave other players free. Anyone in our team can harm them, so they don’t know what’s going to hit them.”

One man who Daka has enjoyed working with during his short time at the Club has been City’s all-time Premier League goalscorer Jamie Vardy, who even before Daka’s first day as a Fox contacted the No.29 to help him settle in.

“It’s been amazing working with him, being close to him, learning from him,” he said. “He’s a very great guy. I was talking to him even before I had my first day here. He welcomed me.

“It was just a special moment for me. Now I’m here to work alongside him, to learn from him, he’s a legend of the Club, and I believe there’s still a lot more I can learn from him when he’s still here.”

Daka has huge backing in his home nation, so much so that Zambia’s President has been an avid supporter since before his move to King Power Stadium this summer. For some, that might bring with it added pressure, but Daka is confident in his ability.  

“The President, his excellency Hakainde Hichilema, has been so, so supportive,” he said. “Not only to me but to every Zambian out there who is doing well, who is pushing for their dreams.

“The country is very proud of us for what we are doing. It’s not pressure, it’s a big motivation for me, because I know I carry the hope of 18 million Zambians with me.

“As I’m here, I’m doing it for them, it’s a pathway for them. It’s a motivation for me, not really pressure, and I enjoy it, I love the support I receive from back home.”

Although Daka could become the Club’s all-time leading goalscorer in Europe if he were to find the net on Thursday, he is focused on success as a team, rather than individual targets.

He said: “For me, it’s not been the main focus, because I believe that it’s not about how long you’ve been at a club or how long you’ve been doing something.

“What you do in that space of time that you are at the Club, or the same amount that you have at that particular time, it’s how you’re going to use it that matters.

“For me, I take every chance, every opportunity that comes, because I believe what I do today is what determines my future. I don’t stress myself looking forward to what’s ahead of me, but what’s currently happening.

“If I don’t score tomorrow, and other players score, if I help the team to win, that’s more important to me than personal glory.”