Foxes of Leicester
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Preview: Leicester City Vs Chelsea – FA Cup quarter final

By Harneet Singh Sethi

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides third goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns on March 10, 2018 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides third goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns on March 10, 2018 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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An inspired Leicester City face a downbeat Chelsea as both the sides look to add the gleam of the FA Cup trophy to their campaign.

Leicester couldn’t have had more contrasting fortunes to that of Chelsea coming into Sunday’s tie. While Claude Puel’s side put the memories of a miserable February with a thumping 4-1 win over West Bromwich Albion, the Blues are still wondering how different their round of 16 result could have been had the ball gone into the net on the four occasions that it hit the post over the two legs against FC Barcelona.

However, even if they somehow manage to forget the UEFA Champions League exit to a world-class side, the 4-1 defeat to Watford, a 3-0 battering by AFC Bournemouth, and the outclassing at the hands of Manchester United or Manchester City in the space of just one month would take some forgetting, as would the fact that the last time they beat a side from the current top 10 was November 5, when they beat Manchester United 1-0 at the Stamford Bridge.

Leicester City may themselves be on an underwhelming run with just two wins from their last seven against two very ordinary teams, but to be fair to them, they haven’t actually done that badly. There were a few surmises that were on the verge of being confirmed when the Foxes went behind to West Bromwich Albion, but the response thereafter was overwhelming, and a proof of the quality there is in this team.

Related Story: Opponent Watch: Antonio Conte to name his best XI against Leicester City

A major reason for the win drought was that missing link in midfield, the one area that Leicester City have struggled the most in. Vicente Iborra, though, has emerged from the dark to put an end to the crisis in the middle of the park, and the team is playing fearless, free-flowing football once again. The King Power Stadium can therefore dare to hope.

Main Man

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns on March 10, 2018 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns on March 10, 2018 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /

Is there anything that Jamie Vardy can’t do? He can have record-breaking goalscoring streaks, he can volley a long ball from long range, he can strike every time he faces a side from the top six, and yes, he can volley it in with his left foot with the kind of technique that can put Lionel Messi to shame.

The 31-year old has been in sensational form this season, and particularly when it comes to a big game. This is a big game, and it therefore could be Jamie Vardy’s evening.

"“I think they’re all as important as each other,” Marc Albrighton said.“We’ve got a target that we want to reach in the league and we’ve got a target that we want to reach in the cup. Every single game will play a part in us reaching those targets.“We’ve got an important game against a top, top side. It’s going to be a very difficult game and we need everyone to get behind us.“As players, we need to galvanise, show some spirit and show some togetherness again, and we need the fans behind us to make it a great atmosphere like it can be.”"

Next: Opponent Watch: Antonio Conte reveals how he’ll stop Jamie Vardy

Possible XI

Schmeichel; Simpson, Maguire, Morgan, Chilwell; Ndidi, Iborra, Mahrez, Albrighton, Okazaki; Vardy.