Jesse Marsch says a run in the FA Cup can give Leeds United 'momentum' ahead of his side's third round tie at Cardiff City on Sunday.
Leeds won't be featuring in the Carabao Cup quarter-final next week after their defeat against Wolves in the previous round. This provides them with a sizable break before their next Premier League fixture against Aston Villa on Friday, January 13.
Marsch fielded an inexperienced starting line-up in the 1-0 defeat at Molineux, with the likes of Leo Hjelde, Darko Gyabi, Sonny Perkins and Mateo Joseph featuring for the Whites in November.
However, Marsch has hinted that he will name a side strong enough for the challenge at hand against Cardiff this weekend.
"We believe that a cup run can give us momentum. We believe that and even when we chose to play the line-up that we did against Wolves, it wasn't that we were throwing in the towel," Marsch said.
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"Given where we were at that moment we felt that to give ourselves the best chance in that tournament, as well as against Tottenham, that was what was necessary. If we would have beaten Tottenham when we were up on them late in the match, even losing to Wolves, I would have thought that we got a lot out of Wolves because we played pretty well.
"We we're a little bit unlucky to lose that match and then we would have beat Tottenham, but it didn't work out that way. But the strategy for this match is certainly with enough break in between to get as many guys prepared to play as possible and then to make sure we have a team that will go after it in every way."
Since their exit from the Carabao Cup, full focus has been on preserving their status in the Premier League. Leeds have registered back-to-back draws against Newcastle and West Ham respectively to sit two points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place.
When asked if the importance of winning trophies has been diminished in recent years, Marsch insisted that silverware is still of huge significance to him, but reiterated that staying in the moment is key.
"It depends on your status as a club, I think," Marsch replied. "For me, I guess because I've won a lot of trophies, that means a lot to me.
"Now, for me even managing this club and where we are, it's a little bit of a different experience for me as well. Because I've been mostly with teams that are on the top side competing for titles, which then changes the mindset of even how you manage.
"I'm just trying to continue to create a mentality and mindset here that's not just about survival, that's about building, that's about a process. But the pressures of this league and where we are as a team mean that that's one of the hardest things to do, to relieve the idea of looking at the table every day, but it's not my focus and it's not my emphasis.
"I understand what the realities are for players, for the club, for fans, for everything, but really trying to stay in the moment is probably the most important thing, and maybe the hardest thing for all of us to do on a daily basis. The more that we can actually execute that and stick to a plan and focus on development, the better that we can control results, and trying to convey that is really important for me.
"But in a moment like this, you can't go into matches and not say that the results are important because they are, especially in a Cup that's either we win or we’re out. Or I guess where we draw, we come back and play, so that's the one variable. In the end, we want to go down there and focus on performance and if we do that, then we can have a good chance of winning."
Leeds' 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cardiff at Ninian Park in 2002 has dominated the pre-match build-up. The Whites were two divisions above the Bluebirds at the time, and suffered a major cup upset courtesy of goals from Graham Kavanagh and Scott Young.
Cardiff have been a real 'bogey' team for Leeds, with the Whites winning just three of their previous 25 meetings across all competitions (L16 D7). However, the Bluebirds are currently struggling in the Championship, and sit just two points above the drop zone in 20th place following a run of seven league games without a win.
But Marsch believes that the form book could go out of the window and is expecting a 'cup fight' in the Welsh capital.
"This is why I think even when we got the draw, we spoke about and we knew this was going to be a difficult draw for us. It's a bit of a long way by English standards, not by American standards," Marsch said.
"For me, it's about having a clear mindset and expecting the best from them and being ready for that. It'll be a cup fight and I think our ability to play the way we want to play but to understand exactly the mindset of the opponent will be very important and for us to be ready for a real match absolutely in every way."
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