Leicester City has qualified for the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The Foxes are inching closer to leave a historical mark in their chancy journey this season.
After conquering Manchester United in their FA Cup quarter-finals, Leicester City faces new challenges in the shape of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s Southampton F.C. Wembley Stadium will witness the epic clash between the Foxes and the Saints on 17th April, next month. Leicester City is clearly the favorites on paper to win this side of the semi-final bracket having a record of 9W-3D-4L against Southampton in previous encounters in all competitions.
Leicester City’s cup history
If history has taught us anything it would be to never become complacent and let our guard down. Last year the King Power club was set to go up against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. LCFC were fancied this time too, but the unpredictable nature of football took its own course, and despite Aston Villa being well inside the relegation battle that season, ultimately won 3–2 on aggregate against Leicester City.
Similarly, this season Brendan Rodgers’ men successfully aced the group stages but finally came up short against Slavia Prague in their UEFA Europa League campaign. Despite having some questionable officiating against LCFC in the first leg, the second leg was completely dominated by the Czech club.
The path to a FA Cup final is not uncharted territory for Leicester City. In due course of history, Leicester City has lost four FA Cup Finals; no other team has made it to the big game that many times without lifting the silverware once. The Manager and the team will thus be very hungry and motivated to turn their misfortunes this time around.
Analyzing the opponents
The main concern now for Leicester is winning the game against Southampton. Wembley will be a neutral ground for both the teams so there will be no need to worry about home/away advantages. The Saints were once at the top of the Premier League table this season and now after some abysmal performances, reside 14th place in the league table.
A wounded animal is a dangerous one, and thus the Foxes must be very careful to tread around them. The Saints are having a weird rotation going on between Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy, their two keepers, at the moment. Theo Walcott and Danny Ings are expected to make a return from their injuries for this game. So clearly having Ings and Che Adams upfront will work as literal threats, things won’t be very easy for the Foxes’ backline.
The good news for City however is that they can expect a few of their missing artillery to make their respective comebacks. Apart from James Justin and Harvey Barnes, the rest of the injured players such as James Maddison, Cengiz Ünder, and Ricardo Pereira are all expected to come back to full fitness. That aids the gaffer with the return of the missing pieces to re-formulate his tactics in a more methodical way than he was able to earlier.
The red hot form of Kelechi Iheanacho certainly installs a confidence boost for the team. Also, the fact that Leicester City has successfully defeated all the so-called top 6 clubs this season works as an extra motivating factor.
What’s next?
If City manages to win the semis, the next challenge would be the Finals of the FA Cup. The possibility of facing the winners of Manchester City v Chelsea for the silverware is a delightful thought. Leicester will be looking forward to reaching the finals for the precious rewards that come along with the trophy.
The rewards will include an opportunity to play the FA Community Shield and a qualification spot for Europa League. The Foxes won’t require the Europa League spot that is awarded to the winners, as they aspire much more in the shape of Champions League football next season.
City vs City/Blue vs Blue?
Whatever it may be, Rodgers’ men should be prepared for the worst. By worst, we mean two kinds of it. While Manchester City is on a roll having played some beautiful football of their own with very desirable results that sees them at the pinnacle of the Premier League, a contradiction yet somehow familiar case has been seen with Chelsea, Tuchel’s new methods may not be as flashy as Pep’s but they certainly get the job done.
Having conceded only 3 goals in 15 games, Chelsea has created a great defense in a short amount of time that has been instrumental in turning their downward slope, upwards. Leicester City is however a team that has defeated them both this season and will certainly look forward to creating another underdog fairytale upset.