Young Foxes 'High On Confidence' Ahead Of FA Youth Cup Tie, Says Barradell
- Adam Barradell previews the Leicester City Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup Fifth Round tie
- The youngsters travel to Vitality Stadium to take on AFC Bournemouth on Friday (7pm kick-off)
- Coach Barradell says his squad are 'high on confidence' going into the game
- The side have come through matches against holders Aston Villa and Crewe Alexandra in the FA Youth Cup
The Young Foxes travel to the south coast to take on the Cherries in a 7pm kick-off at Vitality Stadium, with a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament on offer for the winners.
While they have played a friendly in the build-up, the side's most recent competitive fixture was the last-gasp FA Youth Cup win over Crewe Alexandra, when Jack Butterfill's 88th-minute strike secured progression to Friday's tie.
Speaking ahead of the game, Barradell talked through how he has ensured the players are ready for their return to action.
"The squad are in a good place at the moment," the coach told LCFC.com. "We had a friendly last weekend in preparation for Friday night, just to work on a few tactical elements and look at personnel and positions.
"Then we've trained throughout this week, will train on Thursday and then travel down to Bournemouth. We've prepared well for the game and are looking forward to it."
The long-distance nature of the match means that the squad will stay in a hotel overnight ahead of the fixture, Barradell believing that the experience, common for senior professionals, will stand his players in good stead as their careers move forwards.
"We've travelled overnight quite a few times this year, to Southampton, Brighton, some of the longer trips that we've had," he explained.
"It gives a different preparation for the boys in their development. It's important that they experience that, important that they learn how to manage themselves before games, away at hotels.
"They need to think about their nutrition and their preparation for the games. It just gives them a little different learning experience than travelling on the day, which is great."
Friday's hosts Bournemouth reached the fifth round after securing 2-0 wins over Exeter City and Queens Park Rangers, and while the Cherries are unfamiliar opponents for the Young Foxes, Barradell is aware of the threat they pose.
"We don't play Bournemouth, they're not in our league, but we know they're a strong side," the coach continued. "We know that they'll cause us problems and we'll have to be at our best to get through to the quarter-final.
"The remit for the squad is to get as far as we can in the competition and that's what we want to do. We know we've got a good group of players, players who are high on confidence at the moment and are doing well in the league.
"Everyone is looking forward to a good game on Friday now."
Match tickets for the fixture can be purchased HERE. Foxes fans unable to make the trip can still follow the match on the Club’s official Twitter channel, @LCFC, which will post regular updates throughout the evening as well as reaction after the final whistle.
All times GMT.