FA Cup quarterfinals Match Preview: Chelsea vs Leicester City
Chelsea take on Leicester City in what is our best shot for silverware this season.
The Blues played their part in football history by ensuring Liverpool won the title midweek. Now we return to face a familiar opponent as we aim to end our season on a high.
Leicester have enjoyed a fine season and find themselves in third spot, staring at the prospect of Champions League football.
They have not however enjoyed the best of restarts and have drawn both of their games in the league. In Chelsea, they now face an in-form team surging with belief that they can only get better.
With just three games away from glory, a victory in the FA Cup will boost the confidence among the players going into next season. The Blues look increasingly likely to make the top four. It is now to put the cherry on top with a trophy.
The Foxes have not made it to the semifinals of the competition since 1982. Their last two defeats in the quarter-finals came against Chelsea. Hopefully, all good things happen in threes.
Despite not winning the last four games against Leicester, Chelsea have lost just twice in the last 20 meetings.
History is clearly in our favor. Leicester have met us 10 times in domestic knockout competitions and have lost all 10. This is the joint-worst head-to-head record alongside Stoke City’s dismal record vs Liverpool.
Anything can happen in a one-off and the Blues should be prepared against Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Team News
Chelsea
Fikayo Tomori is the biggest Chelsea name expected to be unavailable as Lampard has a largely fit pool to choose from.
Callum Hudson-Odoi still lacks match fitness and this game could have come too soon for him. Both the players missed our clashes against Aston Villa and Manchester City. They look set to do so at the King Power Stadium as well.
Leicester City
The Foxes will be without Ricardo Pereira, who sustained a knee surgery before the restart. Another player missing is Daniel Amartey. The Ghanian is not expected to feature for the rest of the year following ankle surgery in January.
Predicted XI
Chelsea
Kepa Arizzabalaga, Cesar Azpiliceuta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Reece James, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Pedro, Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham.
Leicester City
Peter Schmeichel, James Justin, Wes Morgan, Jonny Evans, Christian Fuchs, Hamza Choudhury, Youri Tielemans, James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy, Ayoze Perez.
Form Guide (Last Five Games)
Chelsea: D-W-W-W-W
Leicester City: L-W-W-D-D
Player to Watch
Willian, who is expected to start off the bench, could be set to make the difference yet again. The Brazilian, who is in the final weeks of his contract, looks determined to leave on a high.
The 31-year-old has netted 11 goals and 5 assists for Chelsea in the FA Cup. His goal contribution of 16 is better than any other Blues star in the competition during the same time.
His knack of scoring important goals could be a boon come Sunday. He could be the difference-maker yet again.
More Chelsea News
- Twitter reacts as Marco van Ginkel extends Chelsea stay
- Valencia keen to take Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan
- Twitter reacts as some Chelsea fans make idiots of themselves outside Stamford Bridge
Prediction
Chelsea are in good form and look set for the fight. The win against Manchester City will have given the team a lot of confidence.
This coupled with Leicester’s comparatively poor form could see us go into the game as slight favorites. Given our defensive frailties, it is difficult to see us keep a clean sheet. We should, however, have enough to scrape through.
Final Score: Chelsea 2-1 Leicester City
