Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final between Leicester City and Chelsea promises to be a cracking encounter.
With Leicester having reached the safe 40-point mark and Chelsea being knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night, both clubs will be doing everything to make the semi-finals.
The last time Leicester made this stage of the competition was in 2012 and they were thumped 5-2 by… Chelsea. The Foxes are yet to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup and every time Chelsea have faced Leicester, they've gone on to win the whole thing - in 1997, 2002 and 2012.
Although history and statistics are against them, Claude Puel's side will be confident that a mid-week trip to Spain and the fantastic King Power support will help them maintain their unbeaten run at home in 2018.
To do that, they must win two thirds, if not all of the three key battles on Sunday.
N'Golo Kante vs Wilfred Ndidi
The successor against his predecessor.
Ndidi has been a revelation for Leicester this season. The Nigerian has seamlessly filled the gaping hole that was left after Kante departed for Chelsea in the summer of 2016.
The former Genk man has started every Premier League game this season and he'll need to be in top form if he's going head to head with the Frenchman.
Given Ndidi's statistics this season, it won't be an impossible task. The 21-year-old has accumulated an astonishing 125 tackles, which is good for first in the league and 36 more than third-placed Kante.
But let's not forget about Kante. How can we after his remarkable performance against Barcelona on Wednesday night. The 26-year-old attempted eight tackles and won them all, and as well as winning four interceptions, he also completed 96 per cent of his passes.
The man who plays better out of these two will go a long way to deciding the outcome of the game.
Jamie Vardy & Riyad Mahrez vs Chelsea's back three
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were integral components of Leicester's remarkable 2015/16 league title win and Puel will need both to be firing for Sunday's clash.
31-year-old Vardy has seemingly returned to his title winning season form. In 11 appearances in 2018, the former non-league footballer has bagged himself seven goals.
Similarly, Mahrez has returned from his transfer tantrum revitalised and focused. The Algerian has scored twice in as many games after his self-imposed exile at the end of January.
For Chelsea, Gary Cahill may get the nod in the back three, with David Luiz out with an ankle injury.
Conte's defence will be determined to restore some pride after Wednesday night's drubbing at the hands of the Blaugrana. And if they can negate the impact of Vardy and Mahrez, they'll be able to stop Leicester causing a huge upset.
Alvaro Morata/Olivier Giroud or Eden Hazard vs Wes Morgan & Harry Maguire
Both Morgan and Maguire will be waiting in anticipation to see who they will have to mark on Sunday.
If Conte decides to go with either Morata or Giroud, they'll probably breathe a sigh a relief. Both strikers are physical and proficient in the air, which will suit the intimidating duo.
Eden Hazard playing as a false-nine has been a hotly debated topic in recent weeks, and more often than not, it doesn't work for the team or the man himself. But in this situation, the Belgian would cause the pair more problems up front than Giroud or Morata would.
Both lack significant pace and would be forced to step up or drop back when Hazard drops into the holes to gain possession. If they step up, Hazard would split the pair up and open up gaps in the back-four. And if they drop back, Hazard will have the opportunity to turn and run directly at them.
But false-nine or wing, Hazard will trouble the Leicester defence because, well, he's Eden Hazard.
Whoever they come up against, Morgan and Maguire will have a tough day at the office dealing with the quality that Chelsea possess.
Prediction: Chelsea to win 2-1
