Foxes fired up to do double over Chelsea

LONDON • Having beaten Chelsea at home in the Premier League and the FA Cup final last weekend, Leicester are in a position to turn the screw against Thomas Tuchel's men today.

The Foxes, in third place with 66 points, visit Stamford Bridge in the knowledge doing the league double will guarantee a top-four place and Champions League football for just the second time in the club's history following their miraculous 2015-16 title triumph.

Leicester are still basking in the glow of their first Cup triumph after defeats in four previous finals and manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his players not to let the feel-good factor dissipate today.

"It's an amazing feeling when you can give something to people they've never had before. There's a sense of achievement," the Northern Irishman said at his pre-match press conference yesterday.

"It's been brilliant. We've enjoyed the moment. But it's a quick turnaround and we've got a job to do.

"Now we have another huge game. We want to arrive in the Champions League and we have to do it ourselves. Our job is to see if we can get a result. If we get a win, we're there, brilliant, but if not, we'll go to the last game."

A draw would not be the worst result as the visitors will still be two points ahead of Chelsea going into the final round of matches on Sunday, but Rodgers will be keen to avoid a loss as it means their fate will no longer be in their hands.

Should the Blues triumph, Liverpool (63) will pip the Foxes, who host Tottenham next, to a top-four spot if the Reds win their last two games, unless Tuchel's side drop points at Aston Villa.

But Rodgers is confident of getting a positive result at Chelsea, saying: "It (two wins this term) gives you confidence. You're playing against a world-class squad so to get the wins is important, but it's a new game and a new challenge.

"When you are a club that want to win, you know sometimes you will fall short. They (Chelsea) are in the Champions League final for a reason. They've got an excellent squad. We have to work hard and be equally aggressive and see if we can make our chances count."

Beyond long-term absentees James Justin and Harvey Barnes, Rodgers will have to do without key defender Jonny Evans, who has failed to recover from his heel injury suffered early on in the Cup final, while there is also a doubt over Cengiz Under.

Like Leicester, Chelsea have not had the easiest of run-ins, having played league champions Manchester City and Arsenal in their past two games, and they need to travel to Villa on Sunday, but the team know that two wins in their remaining games will secure Champions League football.

Tuchel is also counting on the presence of the home fans - supporters will be present for the final two rounds of the season - to lift his players, who he admitted are still smarting from their Cup upset.

The German, who has no injury worries, said: "It hurt us because once you reach a final, you want to win. We were so close and... after the match, we had the feeling we deserved to win. So we were hurt."

On the presence of 8,000 fans, he added: "In some matches we've struggled with momentum, I've had the feeling supporters could help and be crucial to our team.

"Having the fans back will be fantastic and I hope they come in the right moment to secure a last win at Stamford Bridge this season.

"We need to rely on ourselves because we are in the situation where we don't have to look at other grounds."

REUTERS

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CHELSEA V LEICESTER