Leicester boss Nigel Pearson is looking beyond the potential psychological blow his side could land on relegation rivals Aston Villa in the FA Cup this weekend.
The Foxes travel to Villa Park on Sunday for a fifth-round tie between two sides that are not only struggling in the Barclays Premier League but enduring turbulent times off the field.
Pearson has had a dismal week, with his bottom-placed side losing to Crystal Palace and Arsenal to remain five points adrift of safety. But that is only part of a story which has also included a bizarre touchline altercation with Palace midfielder James McArthur and seen widespread reports that he had been sacked, only for the club to deny them.
Yet, if anything, the turmoil at Villa has eclipsed even that at the King Power Stadium, with fans' protests culminating in the sacking of manager Paul Lambert in midweek.
That could give the Foxes the chance to boost their morale and further deflate Villa's, but Pearson is not thinking about the potential impact of victory on the opposition.
"You could argue that but it is not something that is at the forefront of my thinking," he said. "My thinking is about our players, getting the team right, getting the performance right and hopefully getting the result we want to get into the next round.
"When you are not winning in the league the cup competitions give you an opportunity to win games and hopefully build confidence.
"I don't have a great deal of control over what goes on outside of the football club but I will be working very hard to make sure we go into this game as prepared as we can be, bearing in mind the speculation that has surrounded myself, our club and now our opponents."
On paper, Leicester's form is only marginally better than Villa's. Pearson's men have lost four of their last five games with the only positive result in that sequence being their fourth-round win over Tottenham.
Villa have lost five from six, their fourth-round success against Bournemouth the one bright note.
But while Villa's play -- and most notably their lack of goals -- has been heavily criticised, Leicester have at least earned some plaudits for their positive attitude.
Pearson said: "Anybody who has seen us play recently could not suggest the players lack confidence. We have continued to play with a positive intent, and that is always going to be important.
"We still have enough games for it -- our Premier League situation -- to be in our hands. The players have a responsibility to go out there and perform.
"Nice things have been said about our performances but it is very much a results business. This is about us trying to get a positive result in this game. That would help us in preparation for the next Premier League game."
Leicester will have to make at least one change for the tie with on-loan defender Robert Huth cup-tied after playing in the third round with Stoke.