Leicester and Southampton go head-to-head in an intriguing FA Cup semi-final clash on Sunday evening.
Both teams are looking to make history, with Southampton’s last FA Cup final coming in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal back in 2003, while Leicester also lost their previous encounter in the fixture, with Manchester City lifting the cup all the way back in 1969.
The pair will already know their potential opponent in the final by Sunday’s clash, with Chelsea and Manchester City squaring off the day prior.
While Saturday’s encounter will be held behind closed doors at Wembley Stadium, Leicester and Southampton will have the luxury of playing in front of 4,000 people, with the match picked as a pilot event to test the return of crowds.
With the clash quickly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through the all-important information.
The attention now turns firmly towards the trophy with just four teams left in this year’s FA Cup
When is Leicester vs Southampton?
The intriguing FA Cup semi-final clash between Leicester and Southampton will take place on Sunday, April 18.
The match, which kicks off at 6.30pm, will be played in front of 4,000 people, having been picked as a pilot event to test the returns of crowds. The spectators will be comprised of residents and workers in the borough of Brent, rather than supporters of the clubs, however.
The winner will then play in front of 21,000 fans in the final, in what will be a colossal step forward in the return to some form of normality.
How to watch the semi-final?
The FA Cup semi-final between Leicester and Southampton will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1, with programming starting at 6pm.
Existing BT customers will be able to watch the games either on the television or by streaming it on the BT app or website.
Non-subscribers can also watch BT content by purchasing a monthly pass for £25 with no contract involved.
The highlights will be available on BBC One at 11.05pm, after Match of the Day 2 has ended.
Routes to the semi-final
Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice as Leicester beat Manchester United to reach the last-four
Nathan Redmond was also at the double as Southampton saw off Bournemouth 3-0
Leicester
Round 3: 4-0 vs Stoke (A)
Round 4: 3-1 vs Brentford (A)
Round 5: 1-0 vs Brighton (H)
Quarter-final: 3-1 vs Man United (H)
Southampton
Round 3: 2-0 vs Shrewsbury (H)
Round 4: 1-0 Arsenal (H)
Round 5: 2-0 Wolves (A)
Quarter-final: 3-0 Bournemouth (A)
Both Leicester and Southampton have beaten top-level opposition on their way to the FA Cup semi-final.
Leicester started their campaign with victories over Championship duo Stoke and Brentford, before edging Brighton in a closely contested fifth round encounter.
Rodgers’ side then put in a highly impressive performance in a 3-1 win over Manchester United, with Kelechi Iheanacho at the double.
As for Southampton, Hasenhuttl’s side have been formidable en-route to the final four.
The Saints are yet to concede a single goal in their four matches to date, seeing off Premier League duo Arsenal and Wolves on the way.
They have also brushed aside Championship outfit Bournemouth and League One’s Shrewsbury.
Leicester vs Southampton: The key stats
Brendan Rodgers (left) and Ralph Hasenhuttl (right) go head-to-head in an intriguing clash
Leicester
League position: 3rd
Top FA Cup scorer: Iheanacho (3)
FA Cup goals scored: 11
FA Cup goals conceded: 2
Last five league matches: 2W, 1D, 2L
Southampton
League position: 14th
Top FA Cup scorer: Redmond (2)
FA Cup goals scored: 8
FA Cup goals conceded: 0
Last five league matches: 2W, 0D, 3L
Team news
Leicester are set to be without a number of key players for their critical clash against Southampton.
Wes Morgan, Harvey Barns, James Justin and Cengiz Under will all sit out, though the good news is that Caglar Soyuncu is back in contention.
The 24-year-old has missed the last two games after testing positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Turkey. He has since returned to England and to Leicester training having subsequently tested negative.
Meanwhile, the trio of James Maddison, Hamza Choudhury and Ayoze Perez were left out against West Ham having breached covid restrictions, but have since returned to first-team training and could be in line to feature.
Southampton also have a number of absentees, with Michael Obafemi, Oriol Romeu and William Smallbone all out.
Hasenhuttl has admitted he is likely to make some changes after his side lost 3-0 to West Brom last time out, insisting a similar performance would give them no chance on Sunday.
Leicester vs Southampton: The odds
Despite Leicester’s downturn in form as of late, it’s Rodgers’ side who come into the fixture as the favourite among the bookies, which will come as a surprise to few.
Leicester are favoured at 10/11 to prevail, while Southampton are the underdogs at 31/10. Meanwhile, a draw is down at 27/10.
*Odds as per Betfair and correct at the time of publication.
When is the FA Cup final?
With the FA Cup now down to the final-four, the ending is in sight.
And whoever does make the final won’t have to wait too long, with this year’s showdown taking place on May 15.
Again, the match will be played at Wembley Stadium, and as stated above, there is set to be a total of 21,000 fans in attendance.