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Chelsea vs Leicester predictions
- Chelsea to win & both teams to score – 15/8 with bet365
- Stephy Mavididi over 0.5 shots on target – 7/5 with BetUK
- Chelsea to receive most cards – 27/20 with Unibet
The FA Cup is Chelsea’s best shot at salvaging what has so far been an underwhelming season but a quarter-final meeting with Leicester City may have the Stamford Bridge faithful squirming in their seats on Sunday (12.45pm, BBC One).
It wasn’t all that long ago these two were contesting the FA Cup final, the Foxes denying the Blues a Champions League and cup double with a 1-0 win at Wembley at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
That loss forms part of a string of domestic cup final defeats for Chelsea, which was recently extended to six straight final losses when bested by Liverpool in the EFL Cup decider.
Following that disappointment and with Champions League qualification out of reach, it’s full steam ahead in the FA Cup for Mauricio Pochettino’s men with football betting sites making them third favourites to lift the trophy for a ninth time.
Having seen off Preston, Aston Villa and Leeds so far, the FA Cup odds make Chelsea warm favourites to advance to the semi-finals at the expense of Championship leaders Leicester, who may welcome the distraction of a cup tie.
Having looked shoo-ins to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking last month, the Foxes have seen their lead at the summit reduced to three points after winning one of their last five games in the Championship.
Leicester’s form is a worry for those seeking a minor cup upset, but Chelsea have been chaotic enough to suggest this won’t be a straightforward quarter-final.
Foxes can put up a fight
This is likely to be a Premier League fixture once again next season, if Leicester can hold their nerve and get over the line, and the gap between the two may not be all that big.
Chelsea have come up against several Championship opponents in the cups this year and won all four meetings, some by wide margins in the case of the 6-1 EFL Cup win over Middlesbrough. But they’ve been challenged by others, needing a last-gasp winner to see off Leeds 3-2 in the last round of the FA Cup.
Leicester are on a par with Leeds and have already claimed the scalp of one Premier League team this season when winning 1-0 at Bournemouth in the last round.
Foxes coach Enzo Maresca fielded a much-changed side for that fifth round win, the game coming between a couple of vital Championship games. But having not played in mid-week and with no game next week due to the international break, the Italian could field a stronger side at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca has a Premier League-calibre squad at his disposal and those players they’ve added since being relegated, the likes of Stephy Mavididi, Thomas Cannon and Mads Hermansen, won’t look out of place in the top flight.
Jamie Vardy continues to find the back of the net with regularity, scoring a brace in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Hull City. Vardy scored on Leicester’s last visit to Chelsea and leads an attack that’s scored in 13 straight away games and has averaged two goals per game in the Championship.
Leicester are good enough to score in the tie, but winning the game may be a stretch based on recent performances, even if Chelsea are a little fragile.
This is certainly a bigger game for the home side and they warmed up for it nicely with a Cole Palmer-inspired 3-2 win over Newcastle on Monday.
Pochettino will hope Palmer can lift his team to another victory at Stamford Bridge, where the home fans have seen their team win 10 of their last 13 games.
It’s been a nervy watch for those supporters at times and Chelsea’s recent run of nine games without a clean sheet suggests this won’t be easy viewing.
Both teams have found the net in each of Chelsea’s last five wins across all competitions and that pattern may continue on Sunday.
Chelsea vs Leicester Tip 1: Chelsea to win & both teams to score – 15/8 with bet365
Mavididi to make mischief for Blues defence
Chelsea have conceded two or more goals in each of their last three home games and it would be a surprise if Leicester didn’t give their away fan something to shout about.
Vardy is the leading contender in betting apps to score for the visitors, but there are some interesting candidates to test the Chelsea defence just behind the Leicester talisman.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Mavididi have hit double figures for the season for Leicester and Mavididi may cause Chelsea a headache down the Foxes’ left flank.
Leeds’ Jaidon Anthony had great success on that same side in the fifth round of the FA Cup, recording two assists and three shots on goal.
Mavididi rarely goes a game without at least one shot on goal, averaging over two per match in the Championship, and as hit the target in two of his last three appearances.
While the ex-Montpellier man is odds-on to hit the target on Sunday with the majority of betting sites, he’s 7/5 with BetUK to have over 0.5 shots on target.
Chelsea vs Leicester Tip 2: Stephy Mavididi over 0.5 shots on target – 7/5 with BetUK
Cards keep coming for Chelsea
Consistency has largely eluded Chelsea under Pochettino, except when it comes to collecting cards.
The Blues have pulled ahead of Sheffield United as the Premier League’s chief offenders, accumulating 82 yellows and three red cards in 27 games.
They are averaging just over three cards per game and they collected three cards to Leeds’ one in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Leicester have slightly below average numbers for cards received in the Championship this season with an average of two per game.
The last time referee Andy Madley took charge of Chelsea, three Blues’ players went in the book to one from Manchester City.
Given the two sides’ averages this season, Chelsea look strong candidates to win the card count.
Chelsea vs Leicester Tip 3: Chelsea to receive most cards – 27/20 with Unibet
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Last Updated: 16th March 2024, 09:00 AM
