Chelsea vs Leicester City: FA Cup final preview with Arjun Kapoor and Pradhyum Reddy
The 2021 FA Cup final promises to be an exciting contest, as Chelsea and Leicester City prepare to lock horns at the Wembley Stadium. Both sides are in contention to secure UEFA Champions League football next season and are also set to do battle in the Premier League later this month.
Chelsea’s renaissance under Thomas Tuchel has been quite incredible, as the Blues have managed to break into the Premier League top four and secure qualification to the final of the UEFA Champions League. The business end of the season could turn out to be historic for the Blues, as they look to finish the season by adding silverware to their ranks.
Chelsea have made the FA Cup final four times in the last five years but haven’t won the competition since they did so under Antonio Conte in 2018. Last season, they were beaten in the semifinals by London rivals Arsenal, so they’ll look to put their past demons to bed by going one further this time around.
Leicester City, on the other hand, have never won the competition and have made it through to the FA Cup final for the first time since 1969. Rodgers and co will look to cap off another impressive season by winning a trophy, but it goes without saying that Chelsea head into the game as the favorites.
The Blues have a strong squad and have shown that they can play multiple formations based on the opposition. In the latest episode of Talking Tactics, Bollywood superstar Arjun Kapoor previewed the game with Chelsea fan and former Bengaluru FC coach Pradhyum Reddy.
Pradhyum spoke about the defensive work rate of the Chelsea superstars and lavished praise on Tuchel’s system, while he also picked his preferred XI and made his prediction ahead of the showdown at Wembley. With Kepa Arrizabalaga set to start between the sticks, he picked Reece James, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Ben Chilwell to complete the rest of the rearguard, with club captain Cesar Azpilicueta rested for the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City.
Pradhyum also fancied Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech to start the game, with Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho expected to be called upon as well.
Chelsea are set to appear in the FA Cup final for the 15th time in their history and have won the competition eight times to date. While their position in the top four is far from confirmed, the Blues can make a massive statement of intent by winning their first trophy under Tuchel, as they look to finish the season strongly.
Leicester City will not be pushovers, but Chelsea have outclassed some of the best teams in 2021 and will look to scalp another feather in their cap with an important victory.