by Chelsea vs Leicester LIVE!
The FA Cup quarter-finals continue this evening with Chelsea hosting Leicester in the first leg on Sunday. The Blues hope to book a second trip to Wembley in the space of a few weeks as they look to bounce back from a disappointing Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool, with increased pressure on Mauricio Pochettino eased by last week’s thrilling Premier League win over Newcastle .
This competition could give mid-table Chelsea the best route back into Europe next term and could see them meet a struggling Leicester side in their bid for a semi-final achieve another. Mykhailo Mudryk starts for the Blues, an attacking option coming into the side with Enzo Fernandez suspended. As for the Foxes, they have been clear at the top of the Championship for most of the campaign, although their run at the summit has now been cut to just one point amid a slump in form and scrutiny from recent on their finances.
Leicester famously beat Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final, although they are winless in their last five meetings with the Blues as Enzo Maresca looks to boost their promotion bid back on track. Follow Chelsea vs Leicester live below, with expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs Leicester latest news
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Kick-off: 12:45pm GMT, Stamford Bridge
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How to watch: BBC
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Chelsea team news: Mudryk and Sterling start
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Leicester team news: Daka leads the line
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Standard Sports Forecast
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
12:19 , Matt Verri
Willy Caballero is back out on the pitch at Stamford Bridge as he cheers on a Leicester XI. The goalkeeper was a fantastic free signing for Chelsea back in the day.
A lot has changed since he left the club in 2021.
Maresca: Palmer hasn’t changed
12:09 , Matt Verri
Leicester boss Enzo Maresca worked with Cole Palmer when both were at Manchester City, and it was no surprise to see the 21-year-old shine at Stamford Bridge.
“I think people who know Cole, they don’t see any change – in terms of what he’s doing now, he’s always been doing it,” Maresca said.
“The only difference is that, unfortunately with City, he had a lot of players like him so he struggled a bit.
“At Chelsea now, he has found more space and so he is showing himself, so Cole is the player that everyone is looking at.”
Chelsea’s season on the line again
11:59 , Matt Verri
Another weekend, another important test of Mauricio Pochettino’s staying power.
The Chelsea boss has made it clear that he will not give up trying to change the mindset of frustrated fans, and the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester is the perfect opportunity to swing the pendulum back in his favour.
Pochettino is still under pressure, but most of the squad stay behind him and work on making things click.
The Chelsea boss has smartly embraced the domestic cup competitions. By picking his best team every time, he gave Chelsea another chance to win a trophy out of chaos.
In the winning competition, Chelsea cannot afford to slip up, and their season is on a knife edge.
Read our full preview here!
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
11:53 , Matt Verri
Chelsea are as strong as they can be with Mykhailo Mudryk preferred by Carney Chukwuemeka to replace the suspended Enzo Fernandez.
It will be interesting to see if the Ukrainian, who has scored in two of his last three games, plays as a No10 as he did against Leeds.
Robert Sanchez replaces Djordje Petrovic as he looks to regain the No1 jersey in the long term, while Marc Cucurella keeps his place despite the return of Ben Chilwell.
Leicester team news
11:49 , Matt Verri
Leicester XI: Stolarczyk, Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Doyle, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Winks, Fatawu, Mavididi, Daka
Subsidiaries: Ward, Coady, Nelson, Justin, Yunus, Albrighton, Markal, Iheanacho, Cannon
Chelsea team news
11:46 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Sánchez; Gusto, Disasi, Chalobah, Cucurella; Gallagher, Caicedo; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Subsidiaries: Petrovic, Badashile, Silva, Acheampong, Chilwell, Harrison, Chukwuemeka, Madueke, David Washington
In the building!
11:41 , Matt Verri
The Chelsea squad is here – all the squad news from Stamford Bridge coming up in the next five minutes or so.
Broja fee inspired by Fulham
11:34 , Matt Verri
Chelsea have spent £4million after Armando Broja was left out of the Fulham squad for their 3-0 win over Tottenham.
Broja’s loan move to Fulham has not gone to plan since his move from Chelsea on deadline day at the end of the January transfer window.
The striker has played just 48 minutes in four substitute appearances and looks set to see little action during the match due to Rodrigo Muniz’s blistering form.
Broja wasn’t even on the bench against Spurs and Fulham manager Marco Silva confirmed he was left out of the squad due to “a technical decision, nothing else”.
Under the terms of Broja’s move to Craven Cottage, Fulham must pay Chelsea £4m if he does not start 10 games for them.
Fulham only have nine games left this season, so that clause is triggered.
Pochettino reveals Chelsea’s nerves
11:25 , Matt Verri
Mauricio Pochettino says some of his players were so nervous ahead of the Carabao Cup final they didn’t sleep, as he looks to return to Wembley in the FA Cup.
This competition offers a last chance for silverware and offers entry into the Europa League, with Chelsea still in 11th place in the Premier League table.
In a season of struggles, Pochettino admits his players are trying to get used to reaching the finals as his inexperienced group tries to match expectations and gain experience.
“It was a huge shock for us to beat Leicester again, in our private room in the dressing room and at the training ground,” he said.
“Another game for this young team to play at Wembley again. Between you and me, some players didn’t sleep before the [Carabao Cup] final.
“It’s just about being more experienced and using these experiences to become better. For us, we want to reach another semi-final and challenge for the final and get into Europe through the FA Cup.
“We learn through experience, positive and negative, more with negative because of the pain. And, of course, sure, to play again at Wembley, it will feel different.
“First we have to beat Leicester, with a great coach and players, they will be hard to beat.”
The stage is set!
11:17 , Matt Verri
Visitors have arrived on Stamford’s cloudy bridge…
Why Fernandez is suspended
11:09 , Matt Verri
Enzo Fernandez will miss today’s quarter-final against Leicester after picking up a suspension.
The midfielder is banned after his late yellow card against Leeds in the last round.
The £106million signing was booked for dissent, as he expressed his frustration at not getting a decision.
Fernandez went down from a Leeds free-kick, but play continued and Dan James eventually fired over the bar.
In the FA Cup, players who pick up two yellow cards in the competition are suspended for the following game, and Fernandez has now achieved that mark.
The midfielder was also booked in the previous round, when Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the replay. It was also a needless yellow card, with Fernandez penalized for taking off his shirt after scoring a stunning free-kick.
Chelsea vs Leicester is the latest selection
11:00 , Giuseppe Muro
Chelsea to go through: 2/9
Leicester to go through: 3/1
Option via Bet365 and subject to change.
Nizaar Kinsella at Stamford Bridge
10:54 , Giuseppe Muro
Hello from Stamford Bridge sodden as Chelsea play in another huge cup game that could help define their season.
Leicester face a big test in the Championship final, with Leeds in second place after giving the Blues a shock in the last round.
End to end history and results
10:48 , Giuseppe Muro
Chelsea wins: 61
Draw: 35
Leicester wins: 28
Foretelling
10:43 , Giuseppe Muro
He may not be fully convincing but Chelsea should have enough to beat the Championship side with focus elsewhere.
Chelsea to win 2-1.
Leicester team news
10:36 , Giuseppe Muro
Leicester will be without leading scorer Jamie Vardy, who has scored eight goals in the past eight games but picked up a “slight problem” against Sunderland at the start of March.
“We all love Jamie Vardy but he’s 37 and we can’t forget that,” Foxes boss Enzo Maresca said.
Kasey McAteer and Ricardo Pereira have also been ruled out and Wilfred Ndidi is in dire straits, with Leicester promising to field their strongest team.
Chelsea team news
10:28 , Giuseppe Muro
Chelsea were boosted by the return of Ben Chilwell and Benoit Badiasile.
Chilwell is back after missing Monday’s 3-0 win over Newcastle with a knee problem and Badashile is fit again after five weeks out with a groin injury.
Enzo Fernandez is suspended but Mauricio Pochettino is expected to stick with a team similar to the one that beat Newcastle.
Mykhailo Mudryk could come in for Fernandez, with Conor Gallagher dropping deeper in midfield.
How to watch: BBC One
10:19 , Giuseppe Muro
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on free-to-air TV in the UK. Coverage on BBC One will begin at 12.20pm GMT ahead of the 12.45pm prime time.
Live stream: The BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer will offer a free live streaming service.
Good morning!
10:18 , Giuseppe Muro
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea vs Leicester!
Another big evening coming up for Mauricio Pochettino, with Chelsea’s season on the upswing ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final.
We’ll have the latest updates, as well as team news and pre-kick-off team news, arriving at 12:45pm GMT from Stamford Bridge.
