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The fans will be at the Wembley to watch Chelsea and Leicester City compete for the FA Cup – the first of two finals that The Blues will play in May.
A 2-1 loss against Arsenal last season landed a devastating blow to Chelsea. Frank Lampard’s Blues lost the FA Cup final to the Gunners, who had Mikel Arteta – still in his managerial infancy – leading them from the sidelines.
A year later, Chelsea are back in the cup final, this time facing a different opposition. Leicester stand between them and the trophy, and the Blues will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last year when the two teams meet on Saturday. However, this is a momentous occasion for the Foxes themselves. For the first time since 1969, they find themselves in the FA Cup final. They’ve never won the tournament but have lost in the final on four separate occasions.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are the third-most successful side in the competition’s history. The Blues have been to fourteen finals before this one and have won eight of them. They only trail Arsenal (14) and Manchester United (12) in terms of total wins.
Due to the tournament’s traditionally late start, Thomas Tuchel got to oversee most of Chelsea’s FA Cup wins. The Blues got through by beating Morecambe and Luton Town in the first two rounds before beating second-division side Barnsley, 1-0. They beat Sheffield United in the quarter-finals before facing their toughest test yet – a semi-final tie against Manchester City. However, the Blues came away with a win thanks to a solitary goal from Hakim Ziyech.
Leicester’s road to the final has been rockier in comparison. The Foxes dispatched Championship sides Stoke City and Brentford in the earlier rounds. They then faced Premier League pair Manchester United and Southampton in subsequent matches, beating them both. They now face Chelsea in the final, hoping to win the cup for the first time in their history.
Key Players
Mason Mount was again one of Chelsea’s best players in their loss to Arsenal. The Englishman was a constant presence in all parts of the pitch and played a good game, distinctly, from some of his teammates. The youngster came close to winning a trophy in his debut campaign for the Chelsea senior team. He will hope to finish the job this time around, with just Leicester City in his way.
Tuchel left Timo Werner on the bench against Arsenal – undoubtedly with the cup final in mind. However, his team suffered for it, with Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic rarely dragging the Arsenal defenders with their runs. He is expected to return to the starting eleven for the FA Cup final to lead the line. While his finishing has been poor throughout the season, Werner has notched some important goals of late. He has also recorded double figures in terms of both goals and assists, indicating that his season might not have gone as horribly as many think.
Thankfully for Leicester City, the switching of goal-scoring responsibilities has been a smooth transition. While Jamie Vardy has quietly retreated into the background, Kelechi Iheanacho has stepped up and positioned himself as the Foxes’ main man. Four years on from signing for the club, the Nigerian is finally delivering on the promise he showed at Manchester City. Iheanacho is Leicester’s top scorer this season, having scored 18 goals across all competitions.
Jamie Vardy led the line for Leicester City with his usual gusto up until the end of the previous season. However, now 34 and unable to rely solely on his physical talents, it seems that time has caught up to him. Nonetheless, Vardy retains his finishing ability despite the fact that he has not scored in a while. The ex-England international could “come alive” on Saturday night, given the magnitude of the occasion.
Prediction
It is difficult to predict a clear winner in the cup final, given the significance of the match. Furthermore, tournaments are much harder to predict than leagues, where a consistent string of results increases the chances of the trend continuing for a longer period. As such, we must take a look at the squads and determine which team has more firepower.
Chelsea come out on top quite clearly in that regard. The Blues have spent heavily on players this season and have a core of young, talented academy players. Furthermore, players such as Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, and N’Golo Kante lend plenty of experience to the youthful side.
Leicester aren’t too far behind in terms of talent. They do have a young and vibrant side capable of taking the game to their opponents.
Nevertheless, Chelsea will be the favorites, given their pedigree and previous experience in cup finals. The Blues should beat the Foxes and win the cup, although, in case of a cup competition, one can never be sure.
