Leicester City return to action on the weekend as they make the trip down to the capital to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Having defeated Bournemouth 1-0 in the fifth round thanks to an Abdul Fatawu wondergoal, Enzo Maresca‘s side find themselves in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and potentially within 90 minutes of reaching Wembley Stadium.
City have endured a blip of late in the Championship and have Leeds United hot on their tails in the title race.
Leicester have suffered three defeats in their last five games and have only won once, so perhaps this break from their league commitments is a much-needed one.
The East Midlanders have fond memories of the FA Cup, having won it less than three years ago, so they’ll certainly be eager to progress and create another special memory for the Blue Army.
Further, progression in the FA Cup could also help their financial issues this term, as they could be set to breach Profit and Sustainability regulations.
So the stakes are high ahead of Sunday’s game, as Leicester City News predicts Maresca’s starting line-up.
Leicester City predicted XI v Chelsea
On the injury front, City will be without Ricardo Pereira who won’t return until after the international break. Dennis Praet and Kasey McAteer could also remain sidelined.
In goal, Mads Hermansen will likely retain his place, though, Jakub Stolarczyk has been the designated cup goalkeeper and started in the win at Bournemouth.
In front of the Dane, we could see a back four made up of Hamza Choudhury, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard and James Justin.
Moving into the midfield, the Italian head coach will likely select Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi have been ever presents on the flanks, though, Wanya Marcal heavily impressed in the fifth round and could be given the opportunity from the start.
Up front is where it usually gets a little tricky as The Foxes possess a quartet of talented strikers. Jamie Vardy has started back-to-back games for the first time since the 3rd of November, so perhaps he’ll be rested.
Kelechi Iheanacho has a great affinity with the FA Cup and is the competition’s joint 11th top scorer with 18, so we’d go with the Nigeria international.
Leicester (4-3-3): Hermansen; Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall; Fatawu, Iheanacho, Mavididi.