Ethan Ampadu shares Leeds United plan for Birmingham City FA Cup tie with warning
Leeds United visit Birmingham City on Sunday in the FA Cup fourth round.
Whites captain Ethan Ampadu has declared Leeds United’s plan for Sunday’s FA Cup clash at Birmingham City with a warning.
Leeds will take another break from the club’s Premier League survival bid with their second game in this season’s FA Cup through Sunday’s 12 noon kick-off against Championship hosts Birmingham for a place in the last 16.
Daniel Farke’s Whites also faced a trip to a Championship club in January’s third round tie at Derby County - a game which Ampadu started in which his men fell 1-0 behind.
In the end, second half goals from Willy Gnonto, Ao Tanaka and James Justin eventually saw Leeds to a 3-1 success but Ampadu admitted the game was tight and has fired a warning about the threat that Sunday’s hosts Birmingham will pose.
“That is what we are going to try and do”
Ampadu, though, who has compared Sunday’s contest to a play-off game, says the plan is to “control” the game and put his team in the fifth round of a “special” competition the captain has huge respect for.
Speaking to Premier League Productions and as quoted by Leeds United’s official website, Amadu warned: “I think it is going to be very difficult.
“The game against Derby was a tight game. Our quality showed at the end. We want to get to the next round, so we want to try and control the game and win the game of football.
“The cup is maybe a little bit like the play-offs, it is one game so you know you have to win it. And that is what we are going to try and do.”
Providing his personal thoughts about the history of the competition, Ampadu declared: “The FA Cup is special. It is definitely still as special as people thought it once was, that community, it is that trophy. You always want to play in this competition.”