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Confirmed: Chelsea starting XI vs Leicester as crucial Raheem Sterling decision made in FA Cup game

Ben Chilwell is in the squad while Raheem Sterling and Robert Sanchez start.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has treated this game with all the seriousness it deserves by naming the strongest team available to him. Chelsea last won the FA Cup in 2018 and it remains the only trophy they can win this season. 

The Blues have been lifted and boosted by the return of former Leicester defender Ben Chilwell who picked up a knee injury on March 2nd but he's allayed any concerns of long-term layoff by returning to training this week. 

The young and talented French defender who was spotted at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea beat Newcastle on Monday night is also back in the squad. His return affords Pochettino the luxury of options, especially as Levi Colwill battles a knee problem. 

The record books favour the Blues who are unbeaten in their past five meetings with Leicester, winning four of those, including two at Stamford Bridge. The Championship side haven't been as devastating this year as they were in the last four months of 2023 but they have what it takes to win this one too if Chelsea aren't on it.

Pochettino admitted it had been a strange season with so many ups and downs. He said: "It's a strange year. Sometimes the expectation is high and sometimes low. Sometimes rainy and sometimes sunny."

It is rare for a manager to admit his team has been incredibly inconsistent but honesty is a good place to build a squad from. So with that in mind, below is the team the Chelsea boss has named for the game.

Robert Sanchez, Gusto, Cucurella, Disasi, Chalobah, Gallagher, Palmer Mudryk, Jackson Sterling, Caicedo.