UEFA Champions League finalists Chelsea (CHE) lock horns with top-four rivals Leicester City (LEI) in the FA Cup final tonight. The London outfit, who finished runners-up last season, will be eyeing to add a ninth FA Cup to their trophy cabinet. The last time they won the tournament was in the 2017-18 season when they beat Manchester United by a solitary goal in the final. Despite playing in four finals, Leicester City is yet to win an FA Cup title. Also, the Foxes haven’t lifted domestic silverware since the 2015-16 season.
Team news
Andreas Christensen is a major doubt for the final as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Midfielders Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante are available after the duo missed the midweek fixture against Arsenal. However, Tammy Abraham, Chelsea’s leading scorer in the tournament, is unlikely to find a spot in the playing 11.
Leicester City has injury worries of their own ahead of the title clash. Jonny Evans could face a late fitness test, while James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira may not feature in the playing 11. Meanwhile, James Justin and Harvey Barnes will miss out after being ruled out for the rest of the season. Leicester City fans will be hoping Kelechi Iheanacho can continue his impressive goalscoring run.
Previous meeting: LEI 2-0 CHE (in Premier League) (Goalscorers: W Ndidi & J Maddison)
Road to Final
Chelsea
Third Round: 4-0 vs Morecambe (Goalscorers: M Mount, T Werner, C Hudson, & K Havertz)
Fourth Round: 3-1 vs Luton Town (Goalscorers: T Abraham (3); J Clark)
Fifth Round: 0-1 vs Barnsley (Goalscorer: T Abraham)
Quarter-finals: 2-0 vs Sheffield United (Goalscorers: O Norwood (OG), H Ziyech)
Semi-finals: 1-0 vs Manchester City (Goalscorer: H Ziyech)
Leicester City
Third Round: 0-4 vs Stoke City (Goalscorers: J Justin, M Albrighton, A Perez, & H Barnes)
Fourth Round: 1-3 vs Brentford (Goalscorers: M Bech Sorensen; C Under, Y Tielemans, & J Maddison)
Fifth Round: 1-0 vs Brighton (Goalscorer: K Iheanacho)
Quarter-finals: 3-1 vs Manchester United (Goalscorers: K Iheanacho (2), Y Tielemans; M Greenwood)
Semi-finals: 1-0 vs Southampton (Goalscorer: K Iheanacho)
FA Cup 2020-21 stats
Top Goalscorer: CHE – T Abraham (4 goals); LEI – K Iheanacho (4 goals)
Most Assists: CHE – C Hudson (2 assists); LEI – Y Tielemans (2 assists)
Most Clean Sheets: CHE – K Arrizabalaga (4 clean sheets); LEI – K Schmeichel (2 clean sheets)
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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