Chelsea vs Leicester City: Who will win the 140th FA Cup Final?

Seb Sternik
15 May 2021

Chelsea v Leicester: Talking points ahead of the FA Cup final

History will be made when 21,000 fans pack into Wembley stadium to watch Chelsea and Leicester battle for the FA Cup.

When: Saturday, May 15, 17:15 BST

How to watch: BBC One

Follow this game live via our score centre

Best Bets

Chelsea to win at 11/10 (Betfred)

Correct score 2-1 at 8/1 (bet365)

Christian Pulisic to score anytime at 9/4 (SkyBet)

Is this the game which marks the start of a double winning season for Chelsea? Or is this the game in which Leicester end their four-match losing run in FA Cup finals? That, of course, is the £1.8million pound question.

Chelsea looking to avoid consecutive FA Cup final defeats

Interestingly, Chelsea's recent defeat to Arsenal has had a major impact on their pre-match odds. The Blues are even money with some bookmakers despite the fact that they're currently in great form.

Leicester, on the other hand, are currently priced at around the 16/5 mark. That is a fair price considering the Foxes are in decent form but not exactly flying.

Last Three Matches

Leicester 2-0 Chelsea (Premier League - January 19, 2021)

When the two sides met earlier this season, it was Leicester City who came out victorious.

First-half goals from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison sealed the victory and all three points for Brendan Rodgers' side.

Chelsea did have a goal disallowed for offside in the 86th minute but in the end, Frank Lampard's men went back to London empty handed.

Leicester 0-1 Chelsea (FA Cup - June 26, 2020)

A sole goal from Ross Barkley helped Chelsea seal a place in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final.

Leicester enjoyed more goal attempts and created more dangerous attacks but ultimately, they came up short against a clinical Chelsea side.

The Blues ended up going all the way to the final however, they were unable to beat the Gunners at Wembley.

Leicester 2-2 Chelsea (Premier League - February 1, 2020)

After a dull opening 45 minutes, this game eventually came to life and produced a thrilling four-goal encounter.

Antonio Rudiger opened the scoring in the 46th minute however, Chelsea were soon pegged back by a goal from Harvey Barnes.

Ben Chilwell put the Foxes in front in the 64th minute as Leicester seemed on track to take all three points.

However, just a few minutes later, Rudiger grabbed his second goal as Chelsea held on for a draw.

Last ten head-to-heads

Chelsea wins: 4

Draws: 4

Leicester wins: 2

Chelsea goals: 11

Leicester goals: 8

Thomas Tuchel the history-maker

Even though there have been 139 previous FA Cup finals, there's never been a German manager to lead his team out ahead of this famous fixture.

That's going to change this Saturday when Thomas Tuchel finally ends that near 140-year drought.

Thomas Tuchel is the first German manager to reach the FA Cup final

This will be a well-deserved accolade for the German manager. In a short space of time, the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund coach has completely transformed this Chelsea side.

Upon his arrival, few would have expected the Blues to be battling for a potential season-double. This weekend, Chelsea can take one big step to making this a reality.

Leicester's missing men

One key absentee for the Foxes is Harvey Barnes. The youngster has been a revelation this season and his shoes have certainly been hard to fill.

Another player who won't be playing in this final is James Justin. The full-back would have been in contention for a possible England call-up if not for his season-ending knee injury.

The Foxes need Jamie Vardy to rediscover his touch

The third man who must be mentioned is Jamie Vardy. The former England international isn't injured but his run of two goals from 17 games suggests he's far from his best.

Vardy, who has played in every round of this competition, will be looking to rediscover some form and help the Foxes to their first FA Cup crown.

Goalscorer bets

Kelechi Iheanacho is Leicester's in-form goalscorer and what's more, he's scored the opening goal in the three previous rounds of this competition.

The Nigeria international is currently well priced at 13/5 to score anytime with PaddyPower.

Chelsea's Christian Pulisic

Another man to watch is Christian Pulisic. The American has bagged five goals in his last 12 appearances and could prove to be a threat in this final.

The 22-year-old is priced at 9/4 to score anytime with SkyBet.