Heading into Sunday’s FA Cup quarterfinal clash at Leicester City, Christian Pulisic is Chelsea’s most productive player per 90 minutes played this season, but his ceiling is still far from being realized. The young American (apologies to David Bowie) has scored in both games of Project Restart thus far, and reached a new career high for single season goals, with still seven games left to play. This despite missing significant time due to injury in 2019-20.
The potential is there for the 21-year-old to reach much higher still. Manager Frank Lampard says that Pulisic could some day reach the class of Liverpool superstars Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, or City (and former Reds) galactico Raheem Sterling.
Of course, getting there is going to take a lot of work, but another chance to impress comes this weekend against the Foxes. When it comes to sports betting, like you would do at Odds Gurus or at Cricket Betting.biz, you have to know the odds. And Chelsea are strongly favored here, given that Leicester are winless in all eight previous FA Cup matches against them (D2 L6). Chelsea have lost only two of their last 20 games against the Foxes across all competitions (W13 D5 L2).
Lampard made the analogy between Pulisic and those three elite wingers, unprompted, without the interviewer bringing those specific names up.
“I think he can become a really big player,” Lampard said to Pro Soccer Talk.
“When you look at his age, because he broke through at such a young age in Germany, and he moves to us and people, their expectations rise. We have to take his age into consideration but there’s no doubting the quality. We can see that.”
“He’s very keen to improve and to work, and he’s particularly hungry at the minute because he missed some time with his injury.”
“If he wants to learn, and he does, then on the training pitch and how he sees the game and if he looks around him and sees the players around him that have made that sort of a jump.”
“He has the ability of the Raheem Sterling’s who are producing numbers from wide areas, the Mo Salah’s and Mane’s.”
“It’s important he understands the work that needs to be done to do that because he definitely has the talent to do that. He needs to try and get to that level. I’m delighted to have him at the minute.
“He works hard every day and he has to set his sights as high as he possibly can.”
Pulisic gave an inspirational performance against Aston Villa, and a man of the match effort against City. He’s rolling right now, and the sky’s the limit.
Chelsea at Leicester City FA Cup Quarterfinal FYIs
Team News, Starting XI Predictions: go to this link
Kickoff: June 28, 4pm, King Power Stadium
Form Guide: Chelsea LDWWW Leicester City LLWWD
TV: BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate
Recent Series History: However, the Blues have failed to taste victory in any of those four (D3 L1).
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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