Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea look to take a giant step towards a Cup double as they meet Leicester City in 2020-21 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.
Chelsea are bidding for a ninth FA Cup title, whereas Leicester look to clinch their first FA Cup crown 52 years after their fourth appearance in this showpiece event.
Team News
N’Golo Kante is available for Chelsea after missing Wednesday’s loss to Arsenal with an Achilles injury.
Andreas Christiansen (thigh) and Mateo Kovacic (hamstring) are also deemed match fit for selection.
Leicester could welcome Jonny Evans into the squad should the defender pass a late fitness test, having missed their last two games with an heel injury.
James Justin, Harvey Barnes (both knee) and Wes Morgan (back) remain absent.
Route to Final
Chelsea
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 3 | Morecambe | Home | 4-0 |
| 4 | Luton | Home | 3-1 |
| 5 | Barnsley | Away | 0-1 |
| Quarter-Finals | Sheffield United | Home | 2-0 |
| Semi-Finals | Manchester City | Neutral | 1-0 |
Having begun their FA Cup campaign under Frank Lampard, Chelsea made light work with Rounds Three and Four with seven goals in total against Morecambe and Luton respectively.
Tammy Abraham’s 64th minute tap-in proved enough for Chelsea to scrape their way past a tough Barnsley team at Oakwell in the Fifth Round, before digging deep to beat Sheffield United 2-0 in a fierce Quarter-Final at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea then held their nerve on the counter-attack as Hakim Ziyech fired in from Timo Werner’s 55th minute cutback to defeat Manchester City, thereby setting up their 15th FA Cup Final appearance.
Leicester
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 3 | Stoke City | Away | 0-4 |
| 4 | Brentford | Away | 1-3 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Home | 1-0 |
| Quarter-Finals | Manchester United | Home | 3-1 |
| Semi-Finals | Southampton | Neutral | 1-0 |
Leicester made a bright start to their FA Cup campaign against Championship opposition, with a four goal riot at Stoke City, before coming from behind to defeat Brentford 3-1.
Kelechi Iheanacho produced a last-gasp headed winner to defeat Brighton in the Fifth Round, before netting a brace as the Foxes stunned Manchester United 3-1 in the only cupset of the Quarter-Finals.
Iheanacho again proved key as his 55th minute rebound strike proved the difference against Southampton, as Brendan Rogers’ Foxes reached their first FA Cup Final since 1969.
Stat Attack
- This is Chelsea’s first Cup meeting against Leicester to be held at Wembley Stadium.
- Chelsea are yet to lose to Leicester in the FA Cup in nine previous meetings (W7, D2).
- None of last nine goals in this fixture in all competitions have been scored by a striker.
- Chelsea are looking for a ninth FA Cup title which would make them the third clear most successful club in this competition behind Arsenal and Manchester United.
- No team has lost more FA Cup Finals without winning the competition than Leicester, who have lost all four finals in which they featured in.
- Each of Chelsea’s last two FA Cup goals have been scored by Hakim Ziyech in the second half against Sheffield Utd and Man City.
- Kelechi Iheanacho has scored four of Leicester’s last five FA Cup goals.
Prediction
Chelsea come into this game off the back of a disappointing performance against Arsenal in midweek, in which they lacked any real quality despite repeatedly wasting chances and a defensive error ultimately cost them on top of seven changes.
Leicester meanwhile have a tough run-in as they look to secure a top four league finish, yet they look unfazed at Man Utd on Tuesday evening with confident attacking play but they will need to improve defensively against a strong Chelsea team.
Saying that, recent meetings between these two teams have been incredibly close with Leicester unbeaten in five of their last six clashes in all competitions, which should give them a mental boost and particularly after a clinical display in January’s league clash.
I therefore am hoping that we see a competitive contest here between two strong in-form teams but with both teams meeting again on Tuesday in the league, a part of me does feel that we might see both managers will have one eye tactically on that game.
On that note, I am going for a Chelsea victory here because Leicester look the more likely to need a win on Tuesday, although it will be a close result with extra time perhaps on the cards.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Leicester
Result: Chelsea 0-1 Leicester