Chelsea players celebrate against Ajax in the Champions League. (Getty Images)
Chelsea travel to East Midlands as they are set to face off against Leicester City on Sunday at the King Power Stadium in the FA Cup quarterfinals fixture.
Frank Lampard’s men will be heading into this game on the back of a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the league. However, nothing but a win over the Foxes would send them into the semifinals. Chelsea are in a fine run of form as they haven’t lost any of their last five league games.
On the other hand, Brendan Rodgers’ men have been inconsistent in the last few days. They would be hoping to bring a change in their form and this fixture is not going to be an easy task for the London outfit.
Fikayo Tomori has been ruled out with a muscular injury and Marco van Ginkel has also just returned to training after more than a year out. He is expected to miss the game. Callum Hudson-Odoi is also a doubt due to lack of match fitness.
The Spaniard has not been at his best for the majority of the campaign. But he is the first-choice shot-stopper for the Blues. He is expected to retain his spot in the cup tie.
Though he managed to do well defensively against Raheem Sterling in the last out, Azpilicueta needs to improve in his forward runs. He will be leading the team from behind against the Foxes.
Rudiger’s absence earlier in the campaign saw the Blues’ defence struggle. However, his return has been a huge boost and the German needs to be on top of his game to keep Jamie Vardy quiet.
After a long gap, the 24-year-old put in one of his finest performances in the last outing against City. He could be the perfect partner for Rudiger if he is able to keep up the good form.
Alonso is the preferred left-back at the moment. He needs to involve heavily in the team’s attack apart from his defending. The Spaniard is likely to retain his spot.
The former Real Madrid man has been one of the best players in the squad this term. After being rested last time, he should get the nod ahead of Ross Barkley, who didn’t make much of an impact on Thursday.
Though he has struggled with injuries throughout the campaign, the World Cup winner remains a key figure under Lampard. He will be key to stop the Foxes as he had done the other against Pep Guardiola’s men.
The 21-year-old was kept quiet against City and needs to show his importance to the team. He has had a good campaign so far and needs to back it up till the end.
The Brazilian was not at his best against City but managed to score the winning goal. He is likely to start again in the absence of Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The USA international has been in top form since the resumption of the season. With 2 goals in 2 games since the restart, Pulisic is slowly showing why Chelsea paid a hefty amount to secure his services last summer. He should be an undoubted starter.
The young forward has done well in his first full season at Chelsea. He should be leading the attack against Leicester ahead of Olivier Giroud, who started the last two matches.
