Predicted Chelsea lineup against Leicester City: Kante, Werner to return; Kovacic back in contention

Timo Werner is likely to spearhead the attack once again when Chelsea lock horns with Leicester City in the FA Cup final on Sunday.

Chelsea will be looking for their ninth FA Cup title when they take on Leicester City in the final at Wembley this Sunday. It is going to be a heated battle, with Thomas Tuchel looking to seize his first trophy since joining the Blues earlier this year.

The German, though, also needs to be careful with his selection ahead of an important couple of Premier League matches. He has already indicated that second-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will feature in goal, having helped Chelsea reach this stage in the FA Cup.

“We thought it was a good idea to give him the game before because first of all we trust him and he deserves it. That is the basis that we put him in the line-up. He is so close and so good in training that we wanted to give him some minutes and to take both games together. It was an unlucky night for him as well,” said Tuchel when asked about Kepa’s situation after the defeat to Arsenal.

Chelsea vs Leicester City Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

There might be changes in store for Chelsea elsewhere, though, with Antonio Rudiger, in particular, hoping to make his return to the three-man backline alongside Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta. As for midfield, Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the availability of Mateo Kovacic.

“Kova is with us again,” reported the Chelsea manager, before adding, “It’s what we need in the key moments of the season at the end of the season. It’s big news for us Kova is back. He has a huge impact in the dressing room also and is a very positive guy.”

However, it appears unlikely that the Croat will be rushed back into the starting eleven. Instead, we might get to see N’Golo Kante make his return to the pitch after missing the Arsenal clash. The Frenchman should slot back alongside Jorginho in the double pivot, at the expense of Billy Gilmour.

Elsewhere, there might not be too many changes out wide, with Reece James and Ben Chilwell likely to continue in the wing-back slots. Their athleticism could be key in dealing with the sharp attacking Leicester City side this weekend.

Finally, in the attacking unit, Tuchel is likely to ring in the changes, especially in the number nine slot where Timo Werner should replace Kai Havertz.

The former RB Leipzig forward will be dealt with the task of spearheading the Chelsea attack, with additional support from Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech. The latter scored the winner in the win over Manchester City in the semi-final and will be hoping for a similar performance this time around.

Chelsea Predicted XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kante, Chilwell; Ziyech, Mount; Werner