Claudio Ranieri has said he will "whip" his Premier League players if they are in the title race in the final weeks of the season.
The Foxes have had an incredible season so far and currently find themselves level on points with top-of-the-table Arsenal
It would take a catastrophic collapse for Leicester not to be competing in Europe again - after a 16-year absence - next season but despite being there or thereabouts all season, Ranieri has only recently admitted that his side are contenders.
Ahead of the visit of seventh-placed Stoke the affable Italian, in his own inimitable way, said: "Every match for us is very important but if we win on Saturday it would be fantastic.
"Now is the right moment for us. You get the right horses arriving at the finale and now we are at the last turn.
"In March there is the final straight but now we are at the turn. I will whip them in March. If we are still there in March, I will go!
"I will call Sir Alex Ferguson because he knows the horses very well and then he can give me some suggestions."
A much-changed Leicester team lost to top-four rivals Tottenham in midweek in the FA Cup and it is reasonable to argue that elimination from that competition may benefit Ranieri and his small squad as they look to maintain their surprise pursuit of the title.
However, the City boss is not so sure.
He said: "I don't know because our football is very energetic. For that reason I changed a lot. We have to play every time 100 per cent. For us it is important to have only one competition and work hard during the week."