Chelsea will be looking to booking their spot in the FA Cup final when they face Leeds at Wembley on Sunday at 3pm.
The Blues are in a torrid run of form across all competitions and have parted ways with Liam Rosenior. Calum McFarlane has returned as interim manager for the remainder of the season.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Leeds
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Santos, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro.
McFarlane’s first task is to overcome a tricky FA Cup semi-final against a team that have had Chelsea’s number of late. Leeds are also Chelsea’s first Premier League opponents in the FA Cup this season. The Blues have knocked out Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham and Port Vale so far.
Chelsea team news vs Leeds
McFarlane has inherited a squad with injury issues. He’ll still be without captain Reece James, while Jamie Gittens and Levi Colwill are also sidelined. But the biggest blow was the news of Estevao’s hamstring injury, and the Brazlian won’t play against this season.
Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer might be in line for returns, having made training in the build up to the game. Should they be available, the pair are both likely to start as Chelsea search for a much-needed win to boost morale.
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Filip Jorgensen is out injured, so Robert Sanchez will continue in goal. Marc Cucurella is likely to drop back to left-back after a new system last time out, with Jorrel Hato dropping out. Malo Gusto will start at right-back, though Chelsea fans will hope to see Josh Acheampong given a chance. Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana are set to be the centre-back pairing.
Chelsea fans will also hope to see Andrey Santos given a spot in the midfield alongside Moises Caicedo. And that could happen, after another underwhelming midfield performance from Romeo Lavia.
If Palmer is fit, he’ll play on the right, with Pedro Neto on the left and Enzo Fernandez in the No.10. Joao Pedro should lead the line, with Liam Delap and Marc Guiu on the bench.
Chelsea’s Wembley worries
Chelsea don’t go into this game in a good way. And that could be taken to mean a few things. The Blues only took one point from their two league games against Leeds this season, losing at Elland Road and drawing at Stamford Bridge.
They’ve also only won three of their past 12 games across all competitions. And two of those came against lower-league sides in the FA Cup. Chelsea haven’t beat a Premier League side since the start of March.
Chelsea have a mixed recent history with Wembley too. Since winning the FA Cup in 2017-18, Chelsea have played at Wembley 13 times across all competitions. They’ve lost three Carabao Cup finals, one FA Cup semi-final, three FA Cup finals, one Community Shield and two matches against Tottenham Hotspur while it was their home ground. The Blues have only managed three wins. But they have all come in FA Cup semi-finals.