Castagne Striving To Extend European Adventure
- Leicester City and PSV Eindhoven face off in the UEFA Europa Conference League
- Leg one of the quarter-final tie comes from Filbert Way on Thursday (8pm kick-off)
- Timothy Castagne previewed the fixture during Wednesday’s pre-match presser
- The full-back spoke about the current feeling within the squad and PSV’s threats
The Foxes face PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands in the two-legged quarter-finals of the competition, with the first fixture between the sides at Leicester City Stadium set for 8pm on Thursday evening, ahead of the return leg in Holland a week later.
Heading into the tie off the back of a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United in the Premier League five days prior to City’s latest European exploits, the team are focused on the next task in hand, Castagne said, while speaking to the media in Wednesday’s pre-match press conference at LCFC Training Ground.
“It’s a good competition and we’re getting close to the end so it’s big games,” he told the assembled media inside the King Power Centre. “It’s definitely big. Of course, we still have the Premier League but why close options if you can try in both competitions? It’s also the possibility of a trophy, which we never say no to, so we’re very motivated.
“I think it’s very positive. When you come back from Old Trafford with a sour taste in your mouth because it’s a draw. It means that we wanted more and it’s good. We’re getting back to our old selves. We definitely have the support of the fans, it’s great to have them.”
Brendan Rodgers’ men saw off Randers of Denmark and French outfit Rennes in previous knockout rounds of the inaugural competition, while their visitors overcame Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and then Copenhagen to reach the last-eight.
PSV won’t be taken lightly with the Dutch giants going well domestically, sitting second in Eredivisie and into the KNVB Cup Final, while also competing in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League earlier this term.
Roger Schmidt’s side are currently enjoying a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions which stretches back to the beginning of February.
The Belgian international defender explained: “These teams from the Netherlands, they always try to play good football, try to press and play hard, they don’t kick it long. We can’t underestimate anyone. We know they have a lot of quality; they play very well.
“But it can also play to our advantage because if they take risks, we can press them and maybe get chances from that, but obviously we have to get the pressing right, so hopefully we will.
“Some people think because we are from the Premier League and they from the Eredivisie that it’s going to be easy for us, but they are still a good team with good players, so you are not going to see a big difference in technical ability. They are doing very well so we have to play like it’s a normal game. If we do that then we can go through.
“We want to show the intensity that we can bring. That could be the difference if we bring it. It’s known in the Premier League so we’ll try to show them that and see if they can manage it. I think it’s going to be a good game.
Timothy Castagne vs. Brentford
A simply stunning hit from Timothy Castagne opens the scoring for the Foxes in their 2-1 home victory over Brentford.
“Even if it’s one or two legs, it doesn’t matter, we try to win the first one, and then the second one, we’re going to try and win as well. We only think about the score if it’s the last five to 10 minutes in the second leg. Right now, we’ll try to get the biggest advantage possible and then we’ll see what happens after.”
The former Atalanta full-back marked his return from injury by netting a stunning goal in Leicester’s last home fixture against Brentford and with fellow full-backs James Justin and Ricardo Pereira also back to full fitness, it has provided healthy competition in those areas of the pitch and more options to rotate heading into a busy schedule between now and the end of the season.
He added: “It meant a lot [to score] especially as it was the first goal in front of the fans for me and on the comeback, so it was great. It would be nice to score another one tomorrow, but we’ll see.
“It’s great for the team. When we have games every three or four days, it helps a lot. And then also it’s always better to have some fight for the position because it brings out the best in you. It’s not like it’s a negative fight, we all like each other, so it’s all good. I think it’s been better.”
All times BST.