'Warrior' Evans To Be Assessed For Cup Final, Says Rodgers
- Jonny Evans may feature in Saturday's Emirates FA Cup Final, says Brendan Rodgers
- Leicester City face Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Saturday (5:15pm BST kick-off)
- Evans will be assessed over the next 24 hours, the Northern Irishman confirmed
- Rodgers also discussed the condition of James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira
The Foxes tackle the Blues at Wembley Stadium in the Club's first final appearance in 52 years following a superb 2-1 Premier League victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
Evans has been absent with a heel injury for Leicester's last two Premier League fixtures, but could feature in the capital, according to Rodgers, who was speaking to the media at LCFC Training Ground.
"We’ll give him another day, he’s progressed really well in this last 24 hours," the 48-year-old said.
"He was outside today and he looked really good. We’ll see what the reaction is after that and then we’ll make a final decision on that tomorrow, but we’re really hopeful.
"It’s just a discussion between myself and Jonny. Ultimately, you’ve always got to speak to the players. Jonny’s a warrior, so I know if there’s any way he can play, even if he’s not 100 per cent, he’ll be out there.
"I always have to balance that off. It’s a huge game, it’s going to be a physical game, so we need physicality in the team and running ability. If that’s hindered in any way, it might make it difficult for him, but we’ve got 24 hours, so we’ll see how he goes.
"He’s been out on the [training] pitch, so after this press conference, I’ll go in and find out a bit more detail on how he’s done. You’ll see if he’s available at the weekend.
"We’re still very positive he’s going to play. It’s a showpiece game, so of course you want to be involved.
"In my time at the Club, he’s been immense. We’ve got other players to come in, but if Jonny’s fit and available to play, it’s a huge boost for us."
Following Tuesday's win at Old Trafford - the Club's first league success there since 1998 - Rodgers revealed all the players who featured are in good shape ahead of the cup final, before discussing some of the other fitness issues in the squad.
"Everyone came through the last game really well, so everyone’s fit and available to pick from, apart from the obvious guys who have been out for a while," the Northern Irishman added. "On James Maddison, there’s probably not a coach or a manager in the country who rates him as highly as I do.
"I know what his qualities are and I know what he can give a team. There will be other players, like Ricardo Pereira. We’ve all seen over the last number of years the levels he can get to.
"Ultimately, in these games, it’s about more than that, it’s about more than the talent.
"You have to weigh up the physical nature of the game, what you want out of the game, and then try and strategise the game because if players aren’t quite to the level you would want them to be at, do they have an impact at a different time in the game?
"This is all part of the strategy and the plan that we’ll arrive into the game with. That’s something we’ll come up with over this final 24 hours beforehand."