FA Cup final preview: Chelsea vs Leicester City
Chelsea take on Leicester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium this weekend, and the football odds today heavily favour the London team.
The Blues have been in top form since Thomas Tuchel took over as their manager from Frank Lampard in January, suffering just two defeats across all competitions.
While they have been misfiring in the attack, the Blues have built a solid foundation at the back which sees them placed third in the Premier League standings.
They have kept 18 clean sheets from the 25 matches under Tuchel, and recently booked their spot in the Champions League final for the third time in their history.
The Foxes, on the other hand, have coped well with season-ending injuries to James Justin and Harvey Barnes with Kelechi Iheanacho standing out with top-notch displays.
They have recently suffered a blimp with back-to-back winless games in the league, but are still five points ahead of West Ham United in the race for the final Champions League spot.
The Blues reached the final of the famous old competition with a 1-0 triumph over Manchester City. The Foxes outclassed Manchester United by a 3-1 scoreline.
Key Stats:
The Blues have won just two of the previous seven meetings against the Foxes (two losses and three draws). Both of those victories have come in the FA Cup.
Kelechi Iheanacho has been in superb form for the Foxes during the second half of the campaign. 15 of his 18 goals this season have come from February.
Timo Werner has missed clear-cut scoring chances for the Blues, but has still impressed with a goal or an assist in five of his previous six appearances.
The Blues are aiming to win a ninth FA Cup crown. The Foxes are eyeing a maiden trophy after reaching the final for the first time since 1969.
The Midlands outfit have lost their seven FA Cup encounters against the Blues.
Team News:
The Blues don't have any long-term injury concerns. Mateo Kovacic has been out with a hamstring injury for a number of weeks, but he could be fit to face the Foxes.
Brendan Rodgers' side will be without long-term absentees Justin and Barnes. Jonny Evans is a doubt for the Wembley showdown with an ankle injury.
Predicted Line-ups:
Chelsea (3-4-1-2): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell; Mason Mount; Timo Werner, Kai Havertz
Leicester City (3-4-1-2): Kasper Schmeichel; Timothy Castagne, Wesley Fofana, Caglar Soyuncu; Ricardo Pereira, Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi, Marc Albrighton; James Maddison; Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho
Predicted Score:
The Blues have been in a superb run of form and recently eliminated Real Madrid from the Champions League with relative ease. They also got the better of Manchester City at the weekend, coming from behind to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
The momentum is certainly with them, and they should have the edge over the Foxes, who could be without their most influential defender in Jonny Evans. The Foxes suffered a damaging 4-2 league defeat against Newcastle United last week in Evans' absence.
Chelsea 2-1 Leicester City
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and 11v11.com