Chelsea face Man City at Wembley on Saturday evening in The FA Cup semi final.
Kick off is at 5.15pm local time.
It’s a huge game now, for both clubs. City are still pushing to win the league again, but after being knocked out of the Champions League this week, they will be more hungry than every to win a cup competition this season too.
The good news is of course is that they have just played extra time against Real Madrid, meaning it is factual that Chelsea have had longer rest, more time to prepare, and will not be as fatigued as City’s players. This is a major plus point.
It guarantees nothing though in the grand scheme of things, and defeating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is always going to be a massive uphill struggle for any side.
Chelsea are winless against Chelsea since the 2021 Champions League final. But despite losing the last 7 games before this season, Chelsea are unbeaten against City having drawn 4-4 and then 1-1. In fact, we were actually unlucky not to win at least one of these games.
Chelsea tend to step up in these types of games, which at least gives us a chance. I wouldn’t say I am confident, but the 6-0 win against Everton on Monday night certainly gives us hope in this game.
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We know what City are all about and it’s going to be a pretty open game. This could play in Chelsea’s favour, as it did on Monday night, but it also has the recipe for disaster. We could concede many, but we could also score many, just like the 4-4 game earlier this season.
Both sides will press high, both sides will want to attack, but I feel Chelsea will benefit here by playing on the counter attack most of the game, which has become the norm for a Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side. I fear another basketball match, which is great for the neutrals, but not so much for us.
Chelsea have had split personalities this season. We are capable of smashing Everton, but we are also capable of losing 4-2 at home against Wolves. So we just never know what we are going to get when this Chelsea side takes to the field. It has made this season a complete emotional rollercoaster.
Pochettino also has a bit of a selection headache now with three key players for him back in contention. Enzo Fernandez and Axel Disasi are back in full training and should be available, and Ben Chilwell was back in the squad last week and will be pushing to start.
Rui Vieira Rui Vieira | Credit: AP
The key decisions are, do you drop anyone from the Everton win and if so, who? What kind of setup do you go with? And who starts at left back?
Conor Gallagher was great in the last game, and he also showed good leadership and captain skills. Do you take that armband off him and bring Chilwell back in? Enzo, as I said yesterday, needs to rest. But can we afford to rest him in such an important game? Arguably, as many of you have mentioned on here this week, the Moises Caicedo and Gallagher pivot has more defensive stability than Enzo and Caicedo.
I don’t like Gallagher playing as a 10, but if all three start then surely that is where he will end up again? The argument for that is of course is he is a top presser so will hassle City when playing out from the back thus giving us a chance to win the ball high up and do some damage there.
It was nice to have two out and out wingers (I say out and out wingers but I still think Mykhailo Mudryk is better as a 10 rather than a winger). But if Enzo comes back in, Noni Madueke or Mudryk will drop out. I haven’t even mentioned Raheem Sterling yet, but for me he is down the pecking order now, will he be for Pochettino? We will find out.
Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva both played well on Monday night too and as I picked up on, they do have a pretty good connection after years of playing in the same team/training together. Do you drop one of them to bring Disasi back in? I’m not sure that you do. But can you base a selection for an FA Cup semi final purely on one game, or do you base it on performances over the course of the season?
Chilwell or Cucurella will be another big decision. Cucurella certainly hasn’t been bad in Chilwell’s absence, but he’s not lit it up either.
I actually do not envy Pochettino here because he has some big calls to make.
I think this is what I would do…
With Gusto and Chilwell, one will need to sit if the other goes. What Cucurella does bring you is he is less attacking and shifts the back four into a back three when Gusto advances. This is effective. But Chilwell for me is a better player so gets the nod.
The midfield setup is key. I’d have Caicedo holding, Enzo close to him, and Gallagher staggered just ahead, but not in the 10 role, in a box-to-box 8 role where he is best.
I usually preach using an extra attacker, but I think this is the kind of game we need to stay compact in, so that is why I would use this midfield three. I know I’m contradicting myself because I said Enzo needs resting, but this is such a huge game for us now in a European qualification sense, I think he has to start in order for us to gain some sort of control in possession or at least keep the ball for a bit.
We will need breathers in this game, and Enzo is one of those who can provide it by keeping the ball. His vision on long passing could also be key for us on the counter attacks, as will Silva’s.
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At the back, I just don’t think either player deserves to be dropped. Disasi and Chalobah may well start though, and I’m not against that either. Disasi’s defensive qualities and mentality could be a strength for us.
Mudryk starts for me even though I don’t think he’s been great. But his pace on the counters could be devastating for us, so he gets the nod for that reason.
I don’t have any clue what Pochettino will do, and this might be one of the toughest lineup predictions of the season.
I am predicting a high scoring game, which will come as no surprise. I think there will be goals.
I am going for Manchester City 3 Chelsea 1, but I truly hope I am wrong.
As I’ve said before now, I actually fancy us in this game more than I have against some lower opposition, so again I might be contradicting myself with my score prediction. But I refuse to get any real hopes up and any real optimism again, because I’ve been there this season before only to be knocked back down again. So I am staying grounded. This will be a HUGELY tough game.
