A place at Wembley is the prize for the victor of Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea and Championship leaders Leicester City will butt heads.
The Blues edged past Leeds United 3-2 in the fifth round to advance to the final eight, while their opponents bested Bournemouth 1-0 after extra time.
Match preview
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Still yet to tick off the win a trophy in English football box on his CV, Chelsea's under-fire manager Mauricio Pochettino will get yet another bite at the Wembley cherry a couple of months on from their EFL Cup dejection should his Blues side avoid a cup upset on Sunday.
After a dominant third-round display versus Preston North End and eye-catching replay success against Aston Villa in the match that followed, Chelsea were given an excellent run for their money against Leeds, who looked on course to force extra time until Conor Gallagher's 90th-minute heartbreaker.
Just a couple of weeks on from that five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino's charges prevailed by the same scoreline when Newcastle United arrived for a Monday evening top-flight fixture, although the Blues will still enter the international break in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
However, the Blues can take solace from both their overall performances in knockout competitions in 2023-24 and their excellent quarter-final record in the FA Cup; Chelsea have won each of their last five matches at this stage of the competition and have not lost a last-eight battle since 2015-16.
Also exorcising their Stamford Bridge demons of 2023, only one of Chelsea's last 13 home matches across all competitions has seen Pochettino's side suffer defeat, although Leicester already know a thing or two about inflicting FA Cup misery onto their West London foes.
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Likely to be reuniting with Sunday's hosts in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, Leicester took a trip to another top-flight outfit in Bournemouth for their fifth-round battle on February 27, which they earned by sending Millwall and Birmingham City packing in the earlier phases.
With the Cherries' leading marksman Dominic Solanke out through injury, Bournemouth wasted numerous opportunities to breach the Foxes' net, and while Enzo Maresca's side were not in a ruthless mood of their own, a 105th-minute stunner from Abdul Fatawu was all that was required.
Progressing to the FA Cup quarter-finals - where Coventry City are the only other non-Premier League side left in the tournament - provided a welcome distraction from their downturn in Championship fortunes, as Leicester had lost their previous two league games to Middlesbrough and Leeds United before also being sunk by Queens Park Rangers after leaving the Vitality as victors.
Maresca's men have since eked out a 1-0 win over Sunderland and drawn 2-2 with Hull City to maintain their position at the summit, but automatic promotion is - rather remarkably - no longer a guarantee for Leicester, who are only four points clear of third-placed Ipswich.
Nevertheless, the Foxes arrive in West London with the fondest FA Cup memories from their 1-0 win over Chelsea in the 2020-21 final, but they followed that up with four losses and one draw in their subsequent five Premier League games against the Blues, who prevailed 3-1 at the King Power under Graham Potter just 12 months ago.
Team News
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After being named in the England squad for March's friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, Ben Chilwell is confirmed to be back in team training following a knee problem, which has proven to be nowhere near as severe as first feared.
The ex-Leicester left-back is therefore in contention to face his old club, while groin victim Benoit Badiashile could force his way back into contention too, but Wesley Fofana (knee), Reece James (thigh), Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), Levi Colwill (toe), Romeo Lavia (thigh) and Christopher Nkunku (thigh) remain absent.
In addition, Enzo Fernandez must serve a suspension - the Argentine has been booked twice in the FA Cup - while another midfield option, Cesare Casadei, is unavailable on account of representing Leicester in the tournament during his loan spell.
Regarding Leicester's availability, Ricardo Pereira and Dennis Praet - both of whom featured in the fifth-round success at Bournemouth - have since suffered hamstring injuries and are not due to be back in action until the international break is over.
The duo are joined on the sidelines by winger Kasey McAteer, who is struggling with discomfort, and Maresca revealed on Friday that 37-year-old Vardy would also be unavailable on account of suffering another small issue against Hull.
As a result, Patson Daka, Tom Cannon and Kelechi Iheanacho will battle it out to start at the tip of the Foxes' attack, and Maresca has also hinted that he will not be risking Wilfred Ndidi from the off just yet.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Mudryk, Palmer, Sterling; Jackson
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Hermansen; Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Dewsbury-Hall, Winks; Fatawu, Akgun, Mavididi; Daka
We say: Chelsea 3-1 Leicester City
While Leicester should be mixing it with the big boys again next season, Maresca's men are not the same inexorable force that they once were in the second tier, but a 13-game scoring streak on the road should serve the visitors well momentarily.
A consolation effort may be the best that the Foxes can hope for against a free-scoring Chelsea side, though, as the Blues have their own taste for goals at home and have our thumbs-up to advance to the last four of the competition.
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Ben Knapton
