FRANK Lampard wants his Coventry City players to feed into the derby day atmosphere as the Sky Blues prepare to travel to rivals Leicester City.
The Sky Blues are seeking a first win at Leicester since April 2001 with Lampard’s side unbeaten in the Championship so far this season.
And Lampard hopes his players will relish the occasion after the Sky Blues triumphed in the last M69 derby clash in January last year.
Lampard said: “It’s a big challenge of a game. We need to feed into it [the rivalry] in a positive way and understand the level and extra emotions that come with the game.
“But we also need to play with a calm head against a team who came down from the Premier League and retained a lot of their players. It’s a big game for us.
“A player should love [derby games]. Mentality and mindset is a huge part of the game that we play. We won’t play in fear in any way.
“You have to focus on the job that’s at hand and I’m pretty confident the lads will do that.”
Lampard again stressed the need for City to close the gap to the teams at the top of the division.
And he wants Coventry to lose their inferiority complex when playing against the bigger clubs in the Championship.
Lampard added: “We must keep our current form which is good and go there with a feeling that we want to win.
“When I came in halfway through the season, there was a clear feeling when we played against the top teams of a difference.
“Our idea is developing to try and lose that feeling and try and feel like we can really compete at the top.
“That’s a challenge for all of us and I want to drive that.”
Coventry travel to Leicester on Saturday, September 20 with kick-off at 12.30pm at the King Power Stadium.
