In a season filled with Covid, the F.A Cup is finally coming to an end.
Chelsea Football Club from London will go head to head against Leicester City.
The F.A Cup final will take place on the 15th of March, 2021 at the Wembley Stadium.
How Did They Reach Here?
Premier League clubs enter the competition from the 3rd round. Chelsea started their journey by defeating Morecambe 4-0.
After Morecambe, the Blues played Luton Town at Stamford Bridge. The hosts scored three while the away side took a one goal consolidation.
Chelsea had an easy going up until the 5th round as they faced Barnsley. It was comparatively difficult as the Blues just scraped past with a 1-0 goal advantage.
At the quarters, the Blues met against the Blades and defeated them 2-0 to book their place in the semi-finals against Manchester City.
The game against City was as difficult as Barnsley as the match ended with just a 1-0 scoreline with the advantage for Chelsea.
Leicester City went up against Stoke City and scored 4 goals past them without conceding any.
The Foxes faced Championship side Brentford in the fourth round and took a dominating 3-1 victory to progress further.
Just like any other competition, it becomes tougher as the round progresses. Leicester faced a tough Brighton side and just took a 1-0 win.
At the quarters however, they faced Ole’s Manchester United. The foxes showed exactly why they should be feared as they beat them 3-1 to progress on.
In similar contrast to Chelsea, Leicester just narrowly scraped past Southampton in the semi-final with just a 1-0 scoreline.
What’s Next For The Teams?
Despite facing each other in the final, both of the clubs will go against each other the very next week in the Premier League.
Both Chelsea and Leicester are fighting with teams like Liverpool and West Ham for the top four positions in the league.
As for Chelsea, they will face Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League final while Leicester will have more time to focus on just the league.
Leicester are just 2 points ahead of Chelsea and will look to secure their place for the European competitions next season.
The foxes have bottled this same advantage the previous season and are looking to rectify their mistake.
If they remain in the top four at the end of the season, they will qualify for the Champions League, but if they don’t Europa is where they will be playing next season.
However, if they win the FA cup, Europa League is a sure shot chance to feature in Europe for the Foxes but they hope to reach Champions League.
Chelsea are already in the finals of the UCL and if they do win the competiion, then they will secure their place at the group stage for next season.
So. even if Thomas Tuchel’s side finish outside the top four but win UCL, then they will play in the Champions League next season.
There is a lot to gain and lose for both of these clubs so they will give it their all in the remaining 2 games.
History Between The Clubs In FA Cup
This is the first of two meetings between Chelsea and Leicester City in five days. The Foxes will be looking to win twice against the Blues in a season for the first time since 2000/01.
They have already beaten Chelsea once in the Premier League during their clash in January.
Chelsea and Leicester City are facing each other for the third time in FA Cup in the past four seasons; albeit the Final for the first time.
They have faced each other mostly in the quarter-finals where Chelsea have come out on top everytime.
Chelsea have a good record against the Foxes in the FA Cup, having won on each occasion they have been drawn against each other.
The Blues will be appearing in their 15th FA Cup Final, with Arsenal (21) and Manchester United (20) reaching the pinnacle of the competion the most.
Also, the Gunners (14) and the Red Devils (12) have won the trophy on more occasions than the Blues (8).
Chelsea will be looking for their 9th FA CUP trophy while Leicester will be looking for their first.
The Blues last won the trophy in 2018 while finishing runnerup the next season as well.
Predicted Lineups For The Teams
There is a high chance for Leicester to use their best team in the final while Chelsea need to consider the match fitness of their players as they have another final in their hand.
Chelsea will have their entire squad fully fit for this tie. Mateo Kovacic, who has missed crucial games will return after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Apart from Kova, Ngolo Kante has been given the full-go after being left out against Arsenal to treat his muscle injury.
Ahead of the kick-off, Thomas Tuchel has provided with some important team news and his intended starting 11.
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabagalaga, who has been dropped to the No.2 role will get the nod ahead of Edouard Mendy.
Kepa keepin' net. 🤲@kepa_46 👊 pic.twitter.com/H7pInW2WVm
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 14, 2021
According to Tuchel, “He brought us to the final so he deserves to play in the final.”
Looking at the squad, there is a high possibility for the following players to start:
Starting XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta (C), Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell, Mount, Havertz, Werner
Brendan Rogers’ will have to dig deep as he will miss some key important figures to represent in the final.
Johny Evans, an important part of the defence, has missed the last two games due to a heel injury.
Players like James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira may not make it into the starting lineup.
Harvey Barnes and James Justin are dealing with a knee injury and will not be a part of the squad while Cengiz Under is struggling with a hip problem.
Wes Morgan is completely out of the lineup due to a back problem.
Looking at the squad, there is a high possibility for the following players to start:
Starting XI: Schmeichel (C), Castagne, Fofana, Soyuncu, Thomas, Albrighton, Tielemans, Ndidi, Perez, Iheanacho, Vardy
How To Watch The Game?
The 2020-21 FA Cup final will take place this Saturday as Chelsea face off against Leicester City at the Wembley Stadium.
The Blues are back in the final after being the runnerup last season to Arsenal. The Foxes, are going for their first ever FA Cup title in their first ever appearance.
They are looking to add their second piece of major silverware after winning the Premier League in 2015-16.
Chelsea are looking to add their 9th FA Cup trophy in their cabinet.
Here’s how you can watch the game:
Date: Saturday
Time: 12:30 pm, ET
Location: Wembley Stadium, England
Livestreams: ESPN+(FOR US Viewers), BT Sport, BBC, SonyLiv (For Indian Viewers)
