Leeds United begin their 2026 Emirates FA Cup campaign on Sunday afternoon, as they travel to Pride Park to take on Sky Bet Championship side Derby County.

The trip to Derbyshire will mark the Whites’ third away fixture of 2026 so far, four days after the team suffered a cruel 4-3 defeat away to Champions League outfit Newcastle United.

Ahead of the Rams clash, boss Daniel Farke spoke to the media. “You have to say it is a tough run of fixtures, especially for a side who always has to go over the line and invest everything in each of the games.

“We had four Premier League fixtures within 10 days and the icing on the cake right now is the FA Cup on Sunday. I am a big believer in cup competition and I always want to win, if somehow possible.

“It is not realistic for us perhaps to win the FA Cup, but why not? I always want to give it a try, and we have also shown during the season that even against the top sides in one game, we always have a chance.

“We want also then to go into the next round, still having in mind that of course during this season, the big priority is to earn survival and to stay in the Premier League. So, we won’t risk any player in this game.

“I think it is also important for some players to get some minutes and also to rotate a bit more than we would do perhaps for a league game, but nevertheless we want to go into the next round, knowing a difficult away game and away at a Championship side is always not an easy task.”