We've nine cup finals coming up – Sean St Ledger

Sean St Ledger has described today's East Midlands derby against Derby County as the first of nine cup finals Leicester City will face between now and the end of the season.

City, who have won one of their last eight league games, face a Rams side who have failed to pick up a victory in the same number of games

St Ledger said only a victory will do for City as they look to get their promotion challenge on track.

St Ledger, who returned after over five months out of action with a hamstring injury in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw at Cardiff, said he is returning to action at an exciting time.

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"As a player, we will feel the atmosphere of a local derby but at this time of the season we have nine cup finals to go," he said.

"It doesn't matter who we are playing, we have to pick up the three points.

"It is a crucial period. Everyone was distraught not to get the win on Tuesday after the way we played, we would have taken a point before the game at Cardiff. We deserved more the way we played. We created some good chances and hit the post. They didn't create too much.

"Bolton and Nottingham Forest are on good runs, so we are obviously looking over our shoulders.

"But we want to look at the clubs above us. We still have to play Watford and Crystal Palace. In that sense, it is better to be playing those teams because you can take points off them.

"Even if you are five or six points off whoever, in just one game you can be only two or three points behind.

"This squad is capable of going on another run."

St Ledger admits he is always wary of sides that haven't won for several games, but believes if City can reproduce the performance they produced at Cardiff they will claim the derby spoils today.

"I never really like playing teams who haven't won in a while," he said. "There is always like a voodoo or something about it.

"But our record there has not been bad.

"I think we can take heart from our performance on Tuesday and, if we take our chances, we will win."