Former Celtic star Chris Sutton has backed Chelsea to secure a comfortable victory over Leicester City in their FA Cup quarter-final clash this weekend. Emphasizing the importance of the cup tie, Sutton predicted his old club would pick up a 3-0 victory over the Championship side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (March 17).
Chelsea, who are toiling in 11th place in the Premier League rankings, had a golden opportunity to win the first trophy of the season when they qualified for the Carabao Cup final.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded his strongest XI in search of a win against an injury-stricken Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 25, but still could not find a way through. Courtesy of a Virgil van Dijk header in extra time, the Pensioners suffered a 1-0 defeat in the final, drawing criticism for losing against the Reds’ academy and reserve-team players.
Chris Sutton Claims Chelsea Must Redeem Itself After Botching Carabao Cup Final
In his BBC column, Sutton referenced Chelsea’s loss to Liverpool, saying they must find a way to qualify for the FA Cup final and right their wrongs at Wembley Stadium.
Sutton said:
“I suspect there will still be a massive disappointment at the way Chelsea laid down in extra time of the Carabao Cup final, when they lost to Liverpool’s kids – so the main incentive for them here is to get back to Wembley to put that right.
“That’s not the only reason the FA Cup has become very important for the Blues, however. Their Premier League form has actually improved recently, but they are not going to get a Champions League spot, which would have been the aim when it started.”
He added:
“At the moment there is quite a lot of negativity from Chelsea fans towards the club’s owners as well as manager Mauricio Pochettino, and I don’t think that is going to change whatever they do in the league between now and the end of the season.
“But they can still finish the season on a high with the FA Cup, where they have a good record in recent seasons – they were runners-up three years running from 2020 to 2022, including their defeat to Leicester in the 2021 final.”
Sutton concluding by saying:
“Chelsea had to battle to see off another high-flying Championship side, Leeds, in the last round but I can see them winning this one pretty comfortably.”
Sutton’s prediction: 3-0
Chelsea have faced Leicester 38 times in all competitions since 1996, winning 22, drawing nine, and losing seven.
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