Chelsea will face Sheffield Wednesday today looking to avoid an upset and progress to the fifth round of this year’s FA Cup. Saturday saw a number of Premier League teams get knocked out with the magic of the cup in full bloom. But not many expect an encore tonight with three of the four teams in action tonight belonging to the first tier of English football.
Chelsea have a long history in this particular competition against Wednesday. In fact, the only team the Blues have played more in the FA Cup are Arsenal. This will be the 11th meeting between the two. In the previous 10, Chelsea have progressed 8 times while the Owls have managed to edge them out twice.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
Gonzalo Higuain is eligible and is expected to play a part. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has recovered well and has an outside chance of featuring while Andreas Christensen is likely to miss out due to a hamstring injury.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP VS SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
Willy Caballero is more than capable of deputising for Kepa Arrizabalaga and should get the manager’s nod to start in goal.
Davide Zappacosta will be expecting to play the full 90 minutes with Cesar Azpilicueta likely to be afforded rest ahead of a crucial period in the league.
Gary Cahill has been linked with a move away and Christensen is nursing an injury. This might see Sarri’s rotation options reduce slightly but it might pave the way for Ethan Ampadu to start alongside Antonio Rudiger in central defence.
Marcos Alonso should start at left-back having being rested against Spurs.
MIDFIELD
Given Loftus-Cheek’s recurring nature of the injury, it might be a better idea to slowly get him back into action. Chelsea also play a couple of Premier League games in the next 7 days and it is unlikely that Jorginho and N’Golo Kante will be playing 4 games in 10 days.
We should see a start for Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley in midfield. While it may seem implausible, a start for Danny Drinkwater might not be completely out of the equation given the heated race for the Top 4 places this time around.
ATTACK
Callum Hudson Odoi is reportedly pushing for a move. But being a Chelsea player, he should be selected to play on the left-wing, irrespective of his future. Brazilian winger, Willian, is expected to start on the right affording Eden Hazard and Pedro a rest.
Alvaro Morata seems out of the equation while Olivier Giroud started against Spurs. This could lead to a debut for Gonzalo Higuain who was ineligible for the match against Tottenham.
