- LCFC Women tackle Chelsea at Kingsmeadow in the Vitality Women's FA Cup on Saturday
- The Foxes meet the Blues in a 1pm kick-off after beating Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round
- Manager Lydia Bedford says momentum is building after three wins in a row
- She also discusses the positive mood in the group and the strides being taken in their play
A clash with Emma Hayes' FA Cup holders is City's reward for overcoming Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round. That result sparked an upturn in Leicester's Barclays FA Women's Super League fortunes too, with the Foxes defeating Birmingham City and West Ham United afterwards.
Bedford is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge at Kingsmeadow on Saturday, however, with the Blues looking to continue their trophy-laden success for another season. Speaking ahead of the tie, the Foxes manager spoke of her admiration for the west London outfit.
"Chelsea are a top team and they have been for a number of years," she told the media. "Emma Hayes is a fantastic coach who’s got a real pedigree in the game.
"I’m really excited for the game to be honest. I have a lot of family who live within a stone’s throw of Kingsmeadow, so it feels a little bit like home, even though it’s not. I’m excited to take charge of a team in that arena.
"From Chelsea’s perspective, they’re a team full of strength, they’ve got lots of international players in every position. They’ve got a great deal of depth, so regardless of who they play against us on Saturday, we know they’ll have a strength in depth to change the game.
"We know we need to be at our absolute best to compete with them throughout those 90 minutes. Equally, we’re confident. We’ve got a bit of momentum behind us and it’s a free hit. The girls can go out and enjoy it, take in the experience, and see what happens."
City are no strangers to cup upsets after also beating Manchester United, as a FA Women's Championship side, last season. Preserving the Club's status in the WSL remains the focus for Bedford, but she hopes the players can continue to build momentum at the weekend.
"We’ve got a bit of history in the competition as a club and, in the last couple of seasons, we’ve managed to get through to the quarter-finals," she added. "It would be great if we were able to progress, but the out-and-out focus has to remain the league. This is a bit of a free hit for us this weekend.
"We play Chelsea again almost in three weeks from the day of this game in the league. Obviously, that’s a big focus for us too. I think the girls are looking forward to this weekend and they enjoyed the experience of beating Spurs in the previous round.
"That’s given them a bit of momentum and they’re up for this weekend."
Since Bedford's appointment in late November, the Foxes have improved in many areas, now sitting eight points above the relegation zone after being rooted to the bottom with no points when she joined. Now, the task is maintaining those levels in order to stay in the top tier of women's football.
"It's really positive," Bedford continued. "From the word go, I felt like there was a reaction from the players. As time went on, we’ve got a few performances and results behind those. That’s really helpful because it shows they’re believing in the processes.
"The confidence they’re showing from game to game now is a sign of how they’re feeling. That’s really coming out on the game day, which is what I’m most proud of. I’m really pleased to see that the work we’ve put in is getting us results on the pitch and hopefully they can sustain that.
"The next few months are going to be tough and we’ve got big games coming up, which we need to be ready for."
All times GMT.