Steve Bruce has reiterated to his squad that the League Cup MUST be taken "seriously" this season at Newcastle United.
The Magpies have struggled to get beyond the early rounds of the competition in recent years and have been dumped out by Nottingham Forest in the past two seasons at the second round stage.
There have already been suggestions of a low crowd for this clash, but Bruce has assured fans that are intending to turn up that he is looking to be in the hat for round three.
He told the Chronicle: "We want that positive feel, as it's a cup tie for a start - and we are taking it seriously.
"I said that the first day I walked through the door about the cups. We are playing very good opposition in Leicester.
"We could not have wished for any tougher a draw but that's the way it is, so let's hope we get the performance as well."
Bruce is keen to point out that he is only in his sixth week as Newcastle manager and needs time for everybody to settle down.
The former Man United skipper admitted that Christian Atsu's return to training last week reminded him of his short tenure so far.
He said: "I had hardly seen him in training until the last couple of days of last week.
"It reminded me of the limited time I have been here - weeks!
"It's just five weeks and amidst some of the nonsense it is easy to forget.
"I hadn't seen Christian play so it's good to see him."
United will look to sign out on a high before the international break but Bruce feels that more positive results will follow once the Magpies are fully adjusted to his management style and coaching staff.
He said: "I sincerely hope so.
"I knew we had a difficult start, and we could not have picked harder games from two of the first three (Arsenal and Spurs), even our cup draw against Leicester.
"That is the toughest out there.
"We've had a tough start but we need to batten down the hatches and stick to our beliefs.
"We needed to keep our dignity.
"It's about keeping the chin up and keep on going."
