THE jury remains out on Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea reign but the case for the prosecution will have more evidence if the Blues crash out of the FA Cup to Championship side Leicester City on home soil in the quarter-finals.
It has been another disappointing Premier League campaign for Chelsea and Pochettino blew a great chance to boost his standing at Stamford Bridge by losing the Carabao Cup Final to a Liverpool side ravaged by injuries.
With his side sitting 11th in the league, it looks like the only way Pochettino can secure European football next season is by lifting the FA Cup so there's a lot riding on this game for him.
There have been some signs of progress in recent weeks, with that extra-time loss to Liverpool the only defeat for Chelsea in their last seven games. The Blues beat Newcastle 3-2 on Monday, bringing up a bet for our man Mark, so they head into this quarter-final in decent shape.
But Leicester won't be pushovers and the Championship leaders will relish having a crack at top-flight opposition. It's only three years since the Foxes won the FA Cup, beating Chelsea 1-0 in what was the high point of Brendan Rodgers' reign.
The decline since then has been alarming and unexpected but after the bitter disappointment of last season's relegation, Leicester City are back on the up under Enzo Maresca.
An incredible start to the season saw the Foxes win 15 of their first 17 games in all competitions as they romped clear at the top of the Championship. They've wobbled a bit in recent weeks, winning just one of their last five in the league, but still sit top of the pile.
Securing automatic promotion is the top priority but Leicester City have been enjoying a good FA Cup run too, with wins over Millwall, Birmingham and Bournemouth lining up this crack at Pochettino's men.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are hot favourites to reach the semi-finals at just 1/5 with Bet365 and win in 90 minutes only boosts the odds to 4/9 at Coral. Leicester are 7/2 at SkyBet to go through and 6/1 with the same firm to get the job done without extra-time or penalties. The draw at 90 minutes pays a best 4/1 with SkyBet.
Recent head to head
Since the high of that FA Cup Final victory over Chelsea, this fixture has brought mostly misery for Leicester. The Blues have won four of their last five games against the Foxes, with the other game ending in a draw. Last season's trip to Stamford Bridge was particularly miserable for Leicester as they lost 2-1 despite playing against 10 men for 70 minutes.
Players to watch
Cole Palmer has been the big success story for Chelsea this season and was the main man again on Monday night, with a goal and an assist. The former Manchester City kid is 11/8 with Paddy Power for another goal here while McBookie price him at 12/5 to be a provider.
Stephy Mavididi has been chipping in with plenty of goals from midfield for Leicester City, with his tally for the season at 10. The playmaker is 5/1 at Unibet for a Stamford Bridge and McBookie are offering 11/2 on an assist.
Anything else catch the eye?
Maresca is a Pep Guardiola disciple so I can't imagine him coming to Stamford Bridge and parking the bus. With Chelsea also involved in plenty of thrillers this season it should be an entertaining game and combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals pays 21/20 with Coral.
Neither side is renowned for putting the boot in so betting against a busy night for the ref could pay off. Under 3.5 cards pays 29/20 with Unibet while betting against both teams getting two or more cards is a decent 5/6 at Bet365.
Leicester lost 11-3 on the corner count when they beat Premier League Bournemouth in the last round so I'm tempting to back Chelsea in the corner handicap. Backing the Blues at -4 in that market pays 6/4 with Unibet.
This FA Cup match between Chelsea and Leicester City will be played on Mar 17, 2024 and kick off at 12:45. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Leicester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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