Football League World
·14 March 2024
Hermansen dropped, 4-2-3-1: The predicted Leicester City XI to face Chelsea in the FA Cup
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Football League World
·14 March 2024
Leicester City will be looking to put a shaky few weeks at Championship level behind them on Sunday when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in their FA Cup quarter-final.
The Foxes are still top of the Championship but have won just one of their last five league games. Enzo Maresca will be hoping a change of competition can bring the best out of his side as they look to complete an historic Championship and FA Cup double.
Leicester won the FA Cup in 2021, beating Sunday's opponents Chelsea in the final, and despite facing a Premier League side away from home, Maresca will be quietly confident that his side can record another win, with the Blues currently in the bottom half of the Premier League.
As we're at the quarter-final stage and with no league game for nearly two weeks after Sunday's tie, Maresca will probably pick the strongest team possible in a bid to reach the semi-finals.
Here is the Leicester City predicted XI to face Chelsea on Sunday.
Whilst Maresca will likely pick his strongest team on Sunday, Jakub Stolarczyk has been the club's cup goalkeeper this season and has done a good job, too.
He kept a clean sheet away to Premier League opposition last time out against Bournemouth and deserves another chance this weekend. He's played second-fiddle to Mads Hermansen this season and the FA Cup has provided him with first-team minutes.
Despite being a defensive midfielder by trade, Hamza Choudhury has featured at right-back in recent weeks for the Foxes and has worn the captain's armband four times this season.
He started at right-back in the club's win over Bournemouth in the last round and has made 34 appearances in all competitions for the club this season.
Central defender Wout Faes has played 36 games in all competitions this season but is yet to play in the FA Cup this season, despite sitting on the bench for games in earlier rounds against Millwall and Birmingham City.
With Maresca likely to pick his strongest side, Faes could make his FA Cup bow after being a regular starter in the league this season.
Jannick Vestergaard has formed a formidable partnership with Faes in the Championship this season, and they could line up together at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Vestergaard played all 120 minutes in the last round at Bournemouth and he has made 34 appearances for the club this season.
Able to play both right-back and left-back, James Justin has featured from the left in recent weeks.
He has made two substitute appearances in recent rounds, but will likely come into the starting XI for a game as big as Sunday's. He has played 35 games in all competitions this season, registering two goals and two assists.
Harry Winks has started 36 of Leicester's 37 league games this season and is a vital player for Maresca's side.
Given his durability in the league, he has been rested in cup competitions so far, but you'd have thought that would change this weekend at Stamford Bridge. The England international will relish the chance to test himself against Premier League opposition after leaving Tottenham in the summer.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has started 36 of Leicester's 37 league games this season but has played just 18 minutes of football in the FA Cup, coming against Millwall in the third round.
The versatile 25-year-old has featured as a defensive midfielder in recent weeks and could form a formidable partnership with Harry Winks on Sunday.
Turkish attacking midfielder Yunus Akgün has suffered with injuries this season, but has started the club's last four games in all competitions and has started all three of the club's FA Cup games this season.
Ghana international Issahaku Fatawu, on loan from Sporting Lisbon, has made 33 appearances for the club this season, including one in the FA Cup last time out against Bournemouth.
He has registered three goals and ten assists, including one for the only goal of the game in the club's 1-0 win over the Cherries, which put them through to the last eight.
Winger Stephy Mavididi is yet to make an appearance in the FA Cup this season but has played in all of the club's 37 league games this season.
He has been rested in recent rounds, but with a record of ten goals and four assists this season, he's a key player for the Foxes and could play a pivotal role in helping the club reach Wembley.
A man who needs no introduction, Jamie Vardy has impressed in recent weeks after coming back into the starting XI.
He's scored three goals in his last two appearances, taking his total to 15 goals in 28 games in all competitions this season.
It remains to be seen whether Vardy will remain with the club after the summer, but with a Premier League and an FA Cup under his belt at the club, he'll be looking to add to that this season.