Daniel Farke says he will not take any undue risks but is allowing Leeds United fans to harbour FA Cup dreams
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
05:00, 15 Feb 2026
Daniel Farke is not dampening down the FA Cup hopes of Leeds United fans
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Daniel Farke is not dampening down the FA Cup hopes of Leeds United fans(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Daniel Farke is “desperate” to create something special at Leeds United and so is refusing to pour cold water over an FA Cup run for Leeds United.
The Whites travel to Championship outfit Birmingham City at midday on Sunday in what is a tricky fourth round tie. Leeds will not risk any injury concerns - such as Anton Stach and Pascal Struijk (both hip flexor issues) - yet Farke is nevertheless taking the competition seriously.
Leeds have reached round five of the FA Cup in two of the past three seasons although have not progressed any further since 2003. For Farke, Premier League survival is naturally his main focus but he has described himself as a “romantic” for a cup run.
“I'm still a football romantic, and also a dreamer,” he said. “As long as I'm a manager, I’ll always be not just looking out for realistic challenges and realistic goals - I'm also desperate to create something really special.
“We have the chance right now to go already into the fifth round, and it's a great, great chance. And for that, we also want to find some solutions for this game, and want to go into one more round.
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“That doesn't mean that we then have already won the FA Cup, but we give ourselves the chance to have a great cup run, and perhaps also, really, in the end, to write some history.”
Birmingham will be no slouches, going into the contest unbeaten in eight games. They sit just a point outside of the Championship play-off places, having won the League One title last season by a record 111 points.
Leeds have recently been granted permission to expand Elland Road and Birmingham themselves are hoping to build a brand new 62,000-seater stadium in due course. The similarities don’t stop there either, with both clubs owned by Americans.
More aptly, a week after the Superbowl, this FA Cup tie throws up an NFL clash on UK shores with Blues investor and American football legend Tom Brady facing up against the San Francisco 49ers, whose Enterprises arm took over Leeds in 2023.
It’s not known whether Brady will be in attendance for the game but Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner is set to miss the match and will step away from duties for “a period of time” after recently suffering a stroke.
Sunday’s match will be the first game the Blues play since the news broke and it will give the hosts added impetus to spark an upset. Farke is realistic about what kind of atmosphere his rotated Leeds team may walk into.
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“These are really tough challenges. An away game at a Championship side, early kick-off on Sunday, the whole stadium is packed and buzzing for them - perhaps one of the games of their year,” he outlined.
“But we are desperate to find solutions for this without risking any players and, of course, rotating perhaps a bit more than we would do in comparison to a league game.
“We are the favourites, but it's never easy in the cup to fulfill this favourites role. And for that, I'm looking forward to after this game, and I'm desperate, also with my boys, to go into the next round.”