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Chelsea take on Leicester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final tonight and it promises to be an exciting encounter. Both teams are also involved in the battle for the top four and will face each other once again on Tuesday night in an all-important Premier League match as well.
But before that, tonight is a great opportunity for both Brendan Rodgers and Thomas Tuchel to bag their first title in English football. Thomas Tuchel has turned Chelsea's fortunes around ever since taking over in late January, while Brendan Rodgers has transformed this Leicester City side into a team that can go shoulder-to-shoulder with the Premier League's traditional 'top 6'.
21,000 fans will be in attendance to watch Chelsea take on Leicester City in the FA Cup final
21,000 fans will be in attendance at Wembley in what could be the beginning of our return to familiar routines. 8000 fans were allowed to watch the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur and with that being a success, the limit has been raised.
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Though Chelsea are tipped to win the FA Cup, they could be blindsided by this talented Leicester City side. Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Chelsea could struggle against Leicester City.
#5 Leicester City have already beaten Chelsea this season
In the last meeting between the two sides which came in January, Leicester City beat Chelsea and it proved to be one of the final defeats of Frank Lampard's stint as Chelsea manager. Lampard was sacked a week after their 2-0 defeat to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Though Chelsea had the majority of the possession in that game, it was Leicester who carved out the better chances. Chelsea are a much improved team since that defeat and they are a completely different beast under Thomas Tuchel.
But Leicester City will be happy to sit back just as they did in January, content to let Chelsea keep the ball and hit them on the counter. They have more than enough quality in their team to make the most of their chances as well.
#4 Kelechi Iheanacho's goalscoring form
It is quite interesting that in a team that has Jamie Vardy, another player has become the main goalscoring threat. Kelechi Iheanacho has played some of the best football of his career in recent months and has scored 13 goals in his last 12 games.
He has been in top form in the FA Cup as well. He scored a 90th minute winner against Brighton in the fifth round before bagging a brace and providing an assist in the quarter-final against Manchester United. Iheanacho then scored the lone goal in Leicester City's 1-0 win over Southampton in the semi-finals.
In fact, since his debut in the competition in 2016, no one has scored more goals in the FA Cup than the Nigerian international. He has netted 14 times in 19 appearances in the competition.
#3 Jonny Evans could be back for Leicester City
Leicester City might yet receive a major boost to their chances as they go up against Chelsea. There is a good chance that Leicester City's main man at the back, Jonny Evans, could return from a brief injury lay-off.
Evans injured his heel in the warmup before their game against Newcastle United and was absent from Leicester's 2-1 win over Manchester United as well. With Evans in the backline, Leicester City will be strong in defense and he will bring all his experience to the fore against a young Chelsea attack.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Brendan Rodgers seemed optimistic about having Jonny Evans back for the FA Cup final. He said:
“We’re giving him another day, he has progressed really well in the last 24 hours. We’ll see what the reaction is after that and make the final decision on Friday. We are still very positive he is going to play. It is a showpiece game so you want to be involved in those."
The former Manchester United centre-back's return will be crucial to Leicester City's chances tonight. Rodgers adds:
“In my time at the club he has been immense. If he’s not available it’ll be a big loss. We have other players to come in but if Jonny is available and fit enough it’s a huge boost for us.”
Evans' partners at centre-back will be Soyuncu and Wesley Fofana. Fofana has proven to be a great signing and has been really impressive this season. One of Chelsea's problems is that they don't have a reliable goalscorer in their team and as such, they will have their work cut out for them against the Foxes' defense led by Jonny Evans.
#2 Leicester City have had the tougher road to the final
Leicester City have been tough as nails in the FA Cup so far. They've beaten three English top-flight sides in succession on their way to the final. Well, Chelsea beat Manchester City in the semi-final but up until then, it was smooth sailing for Tuchel's men, beating Luton Town, Barnsley and Sheffield United, to reach the final four.
Leicester City have proved they can rise to the occasion and their performance against Manchester United in the quarter-finals is a testament to that. The Foxes have got to be aware of the improvement that Chelsea have made under Thomas Tuchel but there is no doubt that they will produce an inspired performance today.
Leicester City have been in four FA Cup finals till date and have lost all of them. This is their chance to put that record to rest and bring silverware back to the King Power for the first time since their 2016 Premier League triumph.
#1 Jamie Vardy's pace could trouble a slow Chelsea backline
Antonio Rudiger is set to return to the starting XI against Leicester City. He will be partnered with Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva in Chelsea's back three. As effective as the trio have been, they cannot afford a moment's lapse in concentration against Jamie Vardy and an in-form Kelechi Iheanacho.
Chelsea's back three lacks pace and with Jamie Vardy always trying to make runs in behind the defense, all three of them will need to be on high-alert throughout the length of the 90. If the Chelsea wing-backs are caught out of position and Leicester City can execute a quick break, our money will be on Leicester City to make the most of it.
Youri Tielemans and Wilfried Ndidi have been in great form and if James Maddison and Jamie Vardy can hit their stride tonight, Leicester City will prove to be quite a proposition for Chelsea.
