Evans confident as Ndidi, Iheanacho chase historic FA Cup glory with Leicester

LEICESTER City defender Jonny Evans is upbeat about the club’s chances in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium.

The Foxes have never won the trophy despite previously reaching the final four times but Evans, who won every trophy at Manchester United except the FA Cup, is not intimidated by Chelsea who have won the competition eight times and were losing finalists last year.

“It’s great,” Evans told LCFC TV referring to the club reaching the final.

“It’s a big achievement to get there, it’s a difficult path, and I’m just really glad that everybody’s going to get the experience together. It’s been a while since the club’s been involved in a cup final, so everyone involved is excited.

“There are players like Kasper [Schmeichel], who’s been playing for many years, and he’s not been involved in a cup final, so it’ll be a great experience, and it doesn’t get much bigger than the FA Cup.

“Man to man, all around, we feel like we’re in such a good place with the quality of players we’ve got at Leicester. We feel like we can go toe-to-toe with anyone and there are players who we have in our team that they’ll be terrified of.

“We’re expecting a really, really tough match. The last time we played Chelsea, I think it was one of the last games with Frank Lampard. It was a comfortable night for us in the end. I thought we played really well, but since the new coach has come in, he’s given them a new tactical dimension.

“They look a lot more solid at the back and are playing a little more counter-attacking football themselves. It’s a formation we have played ourselves at certain points of the season, so it could be an interesting match-up on cup final day.

“When you get into a cup final, a lot of things can go out the window. A lot of it is about effort and we know from the semi-final how big the Wembley pitch is. It’s one of the longest pitches in England and you’ve got to play that, so you have to work very hard for anything you get.”

Two of Leicester’s best players this season are Super Eagles stars Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, who have played key roles in steering the club to their first FA Cup final in 52 years.

While Ndidi has been almost indispensable in midfield, Iheanacho’s goals have been the driving force to the final for Leicester.

The 24-year-old forward has scored five goals and made one assist in five FA Cup appearances this season, including two goals and an assist in the quarter-final against Manchester United and the only goal in the semi-final win over Southampton.

Evans believes with players like the Nigerian duo and the fact that Leicester beat Chelsea in the league earlier in the season, the Foxes can win their first FA Cup on Saturday.

“Man to man, all around, we feel like we’re in such a good place with the quality of players we’ve got at Leicester,” the Northern Ireland defender added.

“We feel like we can go toe-to-toe with anyone and there are players who we have in our team that they’ll be terrified of.

“We’ve got good attacking players and we’re quite strong defensively. It makes for a really interesting game. We know it’s not going to be like the league game earlier in the season.

“They’re a really tough team to beat on their day.

“It’s the one trophy everyone wants to have. It’s very historic and people, especially from my generation, they watched it all when we were younger. We didn’t have Sky TV when I was growing up, so it was one of the few football matches of the year I’d be able to watch.

“I can remember getting up at 9’o’clock in the morning to watch the whole build-up of the day, everything about it, and it’s an amazing trophy. It’s one you’d like to say you’ve won. I’ve had a few friends who have played in the final and they’ve always said what an amazing experience it is.”