But he denies it is a "must-win" for the Tractor Boys.
“We know every game is important,” McKenna said on Friday. “Of course, the term ‘must-win’ gets used, but it doesn't really mean anything because if we don't win on Saturday, then we're going to try our very best to win against Tottenham.
“There are a lot of games left in the season, so we'll try our absolute best to perform and perform as well as we can. I think that's always key when you're in games that are built up a little bit more because you're playing a team in close proximity to you in the league.
“Of course, with us and Leicester last year, it was a different position in the league, it was a different context in terms of probably everyone expecting them to be at the top end of the division, and not many people probably expected us to be.
“This is a different context, both teams at the bottom end of the division, but that's natural for where we're coming from. And it's another game to look forward to. We have to embrace these games, we fought so hard to get to the league.
“We were always going to have games against other teams in the bottom end of the division that were going to be built up, but the key is to try and keep the tension out of the performance. Perform as well as we can and fight with everything we've got for the points. And that's all we can do. And that's what we're going to try and do.”
McKenna recognises the importance of the clash.
“There's no doubt it's a crucial match,” he said. “Every home game is crucial. Of course we're playing against the team who, although in a different context than us, came up from the Championship last year.
“So nature determines that we're probably two teams unlikely to finish in the very, very top end of the division, but more so it's a home game for us and every home game we see as an opportunity to go and get points. Every home game we see is an opportunity to go and win.
“It's only our fifth home game. They haven't been too frequent at this stage of the season, so it's one to look forward to, one to try and embrace, and one that we believe if we perform to our absolute capability, then we've got a great chance to get points.
“But we also know we're playing against a good Leicester side. They've been scoring goals in all their away games. They've scored in the Carabao Cup in midweek. They've been to Arsenal and scored. They've been to Crystal Palace and scored two goals. They've scored in all the games this season and they've scored in good abundance in their away games as well.
“So we know they can be a threat. We know what their qualities are. We know them well individually from last season and I'm sure they'll see it as an opportunity to pick up points as well. So it's going to be a good battle and we're looking forward to it.”