Chelsea 0-0 Leicester City – FA Cup: Live score, team news and updates as Cole Palmer almost scores with an outrageous flick at a corner in quarter-final clash

Chelsea really in the mood as Mudryk at full tilt tries to slip Jackson free inside the Leicester box. The Ukrainian couldn’t quite get the weight of pass right.

And Leicester are torn apart as Chelsea take the early lead.

Terrific work by Jackson, who is able to glide past Jannik Vestergaard with his pace, break into the box and then have the presence of mind to pick out the totally unmarked Cucurella to tap in at the back post.

Wout Faes had drifted across to try and cut out Jackson’s cross but that didn’t work and his man was left free to score.

That’ll settle Chelsea nerves.

Another long ball played forward, this time by Moises Caicedo seeking out Nicolas Jackson down the centre. Again, the target just unable to bring it under his spell and Stolarczyk can come out and claim for Leicester.

Down the other hand, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall overhits a cross from the left.

Bright start to the game as a searching pass over to the right side looks for Malo Gusto’s run. It’s a touch overhit and Gusto runs out of bounds to the delight of the Leicester fans there.

Chelsea force a couple of corners in quick succession and Leicester living very dangerously.

Mudryk delivered and Cole Palmer with the cutest of flicks at the near post that looped up and struck the far post before Leicester really realised what was going on. They get away with it.

Bright start by Leicester as they force a corner inside the opening minute. It’s played short, then worked to the back post where Harry Winks can’t direct his shot on target. Nicely worked set-piece routine though by Maresca’s men.

Off and running in west London. Leicester in their change colours, a dark blue or black with lighter blue trim. Chelsea in familiar blue and white.

KIERAN GILL AT STAMFORD BRIDGE: Good atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge for such an early kick-off on a Sunday. Leicester’s fans are up for it, although some supporters are holding up a banner which reads: ‘£38 – magic of the cup?’

Pre-match formalities are done and dusted, the third of the four FA Cup quarter-finals is about to get underway at Stamford Bridge.

Can Chelsea preserve Premier League pride, or can Championship leaders Leicester spring an upset?

It’s a sell-out Stamford Bridge crowd for this FA Cup quarter-final and everybody is taking their seats as the players go through their final preparations and superstitions.

Over 6,000 Leicester fans packing one end of the stadium for this one and a great atmosphere building as the teams assemble in the tunnel.

• Chelsea have progressed from seven of their eight FA Cup ties against Leicester. The exception was a 1-0 defeat in their most recent meeting in the 2021 final.
• Leicester have won just one of their past 13 away games against Chelsea, beating them 1-0 in the Premier League in December 2018.
• Chelsea have won their past five FA Cup quarter-finals, since losing to Everton in 2015-16. The Blues have reached the semi-final of the competition in five of the past seven campaigns.
• Raheem Sterling has scored four goals in his past two appearances against Leicester, including a double for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in August 2022 – his first goals for the Blues.
• All seven of Leicester’s FA Cup goals this season have been scored by different players, with only six clubs having more scorers in the competition this season.

The Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has just been speaking on the BBC’s coverage. Here’s what he had to say on the magnitude of today’s game:

Always, the game is very important for us. We have to improve our position in the table in the Premier League and we have played a final in the Carabao Cup. But now in the FA Cup also, it’s really important for us.

We have to go to the pitch and approach the game respecting Leicester because they are a very good team. They are doing fantastic in the Championship and of course it’s not going to be easy.

Yesterday Wolves v Coventry was a really difficult game, that’s the beauty of the FA Cup and that’s why we’re very conscious we need to perform well today.

We know we are Chelsea and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world and that patience sometimes is not easy to get for the fans because they want to see the team performing and winning titles but it’s true we are in a different project now and we need to accept that.

Dion Dublin and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink are in the BBC studio alongside Gary Lineker today and here’s some thoughts on the importance of today for Chelsea:

Dublin: This is the last chance (for Chelsea to win a trophy), the players will think that as well. This is a real chance of silverware. They’ve had a poor season their standards are higher than that.

Chelsea will expect a trophy every season that’s what the fans demand. This is about doing a professional Premier League performance against a side they should be beating.

Hasselbaink: It was always going to be a season about ups and downs. They’ve been playing really well against the bigger teams like Liverpool, Man City but when they have to make the game itself they have struggled here and there.

Yes, the punters they want trophies but it’s a different club it’s taking time and you have to be patient. You have to understand a lot of the young players.

They have got a lot of young players who have to develop and they have to take time with. You can see they’re talented but it will take time.

Made in Manchester, Cole Palmer could easily have stayed at home with the best team in the world, a club who can practically guarantee their players a glut of trophies.

Instead, he had the confidence to score in the Community Shield and Super Cup at the start of this season and then tell City: let me leave because I deserve to be playing week in, week out. Watching him for Chelsea, you can see why he insisted he was ready.

This 21-year-old is an immense talent. He is cool, classy and measured, with a little maverick in him, and determined to prove why he deserves to represent England at Euro 2024.

Both teams being put through their paces as we fast approach the 12.45pm kick-off.

It’s been a season of cruel injury blows for Reece James and now Gareth Southgate has suggested his Euro 2024 place with England is at risk if he doesn’t prove his ‘physical resistance’.

While Leicester will be fully focused on the task at hand in the Cup, they’ll also be keeping half-an-eye later on when Leeds United host Millwall in the Championship.

If Leeds win by a two-goal margin, they’ll go above Leicester and top of the Championship.

Yesterday, Ipswich bolstered their promotion credentials with a 6-0 rout of Sheffield Wednesday and now sit just a point and a place behind the Foxes in a gripping promotion race.

A few snaps of Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Ben Chilwell greeting fans as they walk into the stadium.

The Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha is also seen greeting fans of his team already inside the ground.

Leicester City XI: Stolarczyk; Choudhury, Faes, Vestergaard, Doyle, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Winks, Fatawu, Mavididi, Daka.

Substitutes: Ward; Coady, Nelson, Justin, Yunus, Albrighton, Marcal, Iheanacho, Cannon.

Enzo Maresca has made four changes from the Leicester side that drew 2-2 at Hull last Saturday.

Coming in are Jakub Stolarczyk in goal, Callum Doyle, Wilfred Ndidi and Patson Daka in place of Mads Hermansen, James Justin, Yunus Akgun and the injured Jamie Vardy.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Chalobah, Cucurella; Gallagher, Caicedo; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson

Substitutes: Petrovic (GK); Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Acheampong, Chilwell, Harrison, Chukwuemeka, Madueke, Washington

Pochettino clearly ‘up for the Cup’ with that strong team selection. Aside from switching the goalkeeper, that looks like about as strong as Chelsea could go at the moment.

Enzo Fernandez is suspended for today’s tie. Mykhailo Mudryk is the player brought in, with Conor Gallagher likely to play a bit deeper.

The only other change is between the sticks with Robert Sanchez in for Djordje Petrovic.

Stay tuned for the two confirmed team line-ups as we approach an hour until kick-off in west London.

Here’s pictures of Chelsea boss Pochettino and some of the Leicester players walking in.

Here’s Leicester inspecting the pitch at Stamford Bridge after arriving just a few minutes ago.

Heart-warming scenes this week as Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino became the drillmaster by hosting a 130-person BBQ at their Cobham training ground.

Apparently, there were sausages, steaks and cuisine from various different countries to keep his cosmopolitan squad satisfied.

But obviously the club nutritionists had their say and fries (and alcohol) were banned.

As you can see from these pictures of some of the early-arriving fans at Stamford Bridge, it’s a bit of a wet one in London.

Mind you, it seems to be pretty damp across most of the country. Anyway, it should make for a slick surface beneath those leaden grey skies.

The Championship leaders may come to Stamford Bridge as the underdogs but they’ll be backed by 6,015 fans, who’ll pack out The Shed this afternoon.

It promises to be a fantastic atmosphere as the Foxes aim to repeat their win over Chelsea in the 2021 final.

Two down, two to go in terms of this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals.

As we’ve seen, Man City and Coventry are already through to the last four.

Chelsea vs Leicester City is next up at 12.45pm and then later on it’s the humdinger at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Liverpool, a 3.30pm kick-off.

As for the draw for the semi-finals, that’ll take place after the action finishes at Old Trafford later. Mark Pougatch will host the draw, with Ian Wright pulling the balls from the velvet bag.

Apparently, it will take place within 15 minutes of the final whistle.

The ball numbers are: 1 – Coventry City; 2 – Manchester United or Liverpool; 3 – Chelsea or Leicester City and 4 – Manchester City.

TOM COLLOMOSSE: For the last 34 years Mark Robins has been known best as the man who saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job but now the Coventry manager is writing an even better FA Cup story of his own.

Robins’ goals in the 1990 competition helped United reach the Final and eased the pressure on Ferguson. They beat Crystal Palace in a replay at Wembley and 23 years later, Ferguson retired as arguably the greatest manager in the history of the game.

Robins will never have that tag but what he has achieved at Coventry is remarkable. They are back at Wembley in the Cup for the first time since winning it in 1987 and they will remember this classic quarter-final for nearly as long as that one.

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IAN LADYMAN: After the turmoil and the chaos of Anfield last weekend, this was the return of the Manchester City we know. Ordered, purposeful, reliable and, of course, utterly in control. Pep Guardiola’s team are in to yet another domestic cup semi-final and nobody will be the least bit surprised about that.

Admittedly the opposition are battered, bruised and going backwards. Newcastle, so soon after the highs of last season, are currently heading in the wrong direction at an alarmingly and increasingly predictable rate.

No shortage of effort from Eddie Howe’s team but the truth is they were never in this game, not really. City were impressively relentless throughout and the fact they have now progressed to six FA Cup semi-finals in a row says everything about them. No team has ever done that before.

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Coventry City and Manchester City have already booked their FA Cup semi-final spots with their fans already looking forward to a trip to Wembley next month.

This lunchtime, we’ll find out the identity of the third side through to the final four.

On paper, Chelsea should be the favourites as they welcome Championship Leicester City to Stamford Bridge.

But Enzo Maresca’s side have taken the second-tier by storm this season as they look to return to the top division at the first time of asking.

They will certainly give Mauricio Pochettino’s side plenty to think about and will be backed by a legion of fans in what is a repeat of the 2021 FA Cup final.

Back then it was Leicester who emerged victorious, lifting the famous trophy for the first time in their history.

What will be the outcome today? Welcome along to our live coverage of Chelsea vs Leicester City.