C helsea vs Manchester City It's all eyes on Wembley this evening as the first FA Cup semi-final takes centre stage. City look formid...
helsea vs Manchester City
It's all eyes on Wembley this evening as the first FA Cup semi-final takes centre stage.
City look formidable as they continue their quadruple quest; the Premier League title is all but wrapped up, they are in next week’s Carabao Cup final against Tottenham and through to the Champions League semi-finals, where they will face PSG.
So the odds favour Pep Guardiola & Co., but, under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea look up for the fight. Since the German's appointment, they have lost just once in a run of form only bettered by tonight’s opponents.
Chelsea's success has been based on solid defence and it will be interesting to see how they deal with City's attack as Tuchel comes up against Guardiola for the first time in English football.
The winner will face either Leicester City or Southampton in the final.
Thomas Tuchel accepts his Chelsea team are up against Europe's "benchmark" side this afternoon.
Tuchel, who will be taking charge of a match at Wembley for the first time and chasing a first managerial win over Pep Guardiola, admits a "gap" exists between the two teams but believes his men can triumph in a one-off game.
"We have to admit there is a gap but for 90 minutes we are very self-aware and very self-confident that we believe we can close the gap...for one game," he said.
"And this is the target for (today). I arrive happy to compete against the benchmark in England and Europe.
"We want the momentum of football on our side, and to play at the top level it's not to force things, and we'll need a bit of luck."
Predicted lineups
Here’s how our reporter James Robson expects the two teams to shape up.
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell; Ziyech, Mount; Havertz
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Foden, Bernardo, Sterling.
Prediction
With both sides having played huge European games in midweek, we can probably expect a tight affair and an intriguing tactical battle.
Man City most likely to win extra time.
Man City team news
City will be without record goalscorer Sergio Aguero once again.
The Argentinian has missed the last three games with a muscular problem, the latest in a catalogue of fitness issues to have marred his final season at the club.
City have no other fresh fitness concerns but, as in previous domestic cup ties this season, Zack Steffen could take over from Ederson in goal.
Chelsea team news
Andreas Christensen will miss the game today due to a muscle injury.
The Denmark defender missed the midweek Champions League clash with Porto and has failed to recover in time for the Wembley showdown.
N'Golo Kante is fit enough to start his second match in a week, with Mateo Kovacic still sidelined through hamstring trouble.
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