We’ve got players that should terrify Chelsea
EVANS SAYS CITY’S ATTACKING QUALITY CAN CAUSE BLUES PROBLEMS
LEICESTER City may be the lesserfancied club in the FA Cup final but still have players Chelsea should be “terrified of ”.
City go into this afternoon’s game as underdogs against a Chelsea outfit that is flying under Thomas Tuchel.
Under the German, Chelsea have not only reached Wembley, but have booked a spot in the Champions League final and risen from 10th to fourth in the table.
They have improved defensively to keep 18 clean sheets in Tuchel’s 26 games, but Evans believes City have the attacking quality to cause them problems.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have only failed to score in one of their last 16 domestic games, with Kelechi Iheanacho in outstanding form in front of goal, the Nigerian netting 13 times in his last 12 matches.
“Man to man, we’re looking around, we feel like we’re in such a good place with the quality of players we’ve got at Leicester,” Evans told LCFC TV.
“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. It would be nice if it’s like the league game earlier in the season but we know it’s not going to be like that.
“They’re a really tough team to beat on their day.”
Evans is one of the few players in the City squad to have played in a cup final before, but has not done so since 2010, in his younger days at Manchester United.
He believes he will have a different mindset to a decade ago.
“I’ve played in finals, but if I play, it’ll be the first time I’ve played in a final as a 33-year-old!” he said.
“I’ve played in two League Cup finals at the start of my career and it’s a totally different outlook you have with your mental mindset.
“I suppose I can understand where they (the younger players) are at.
“When I was that age, I just went out and enjoyed it, I didn’t really realise the significance of winning a trophy.
“At the end of your career, you can look back on it and have something to show for it, so I’ll probably say: ‘Go out to relax, play your game and let us senior players worry about the rest of it.’
“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.
“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.
“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.”