Nigerian international forward Kelechi Iheanacho will start from the bench for the third consecutive FA Cup game this season when his club, Leicester City host fellow Premier League side, Brighton in a fifth round tie tonight at the King Power stadium.
Iheanacho has played cameo roles in the two games he has featured in for the Foxes this season, totalling a combined 22 minutes.
The 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner may play another cameo role again tonight as he seeks his first goal in the competition this season which will take his total tally to 11. If he does, that will make him African second joint top scorer in the competition with Cote D’Ivoire’s Francois Zoko who has 11 goals from 27 appearances.
A brace for the Nigerian will make him joint top scorer with another Ivorian, Chelsea legend, Didier Dry while a hat-trick like he did against Aston Villa in January 2016 will make the undisputed African top scorer in the competition.
Iheanacho will also be out to banish his barren run in front of goals in the 2018/19 albeit he featured only once in the competition, playing for all 90 minutes in the Foxes’ shocking 2-1 loss at Newport County in January 2019.
The Super Eagles forward scored four times in three appearances in his first season (2015/16) and another four in five games in the 2017/18 season, his two most prolific seasons.
The former Manchester City star has scored in four of the six seasons he has featured and a goal today will mean he would have scored in five of six seasons.
Iheanacho may be third on the African scorers chart in the competition so far, but in terms of goals per game ratio, he is the most prolific as he scored his 10 goals in 16 appearances across six seasons while Drogba scored his 12 goals in 29 games spread across nine seasons.