FA Cup semi-final weekend takes centre stage on the English football calendar, with two of the country’s most successful teams set to clash at Wembley on Saturday.
Having lost on penalties to Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, Manchester City will be hoping to bounce back against Chelsea, who are unbeaten in eight games across all competitions.
The Blues have reached five of the last seven FA Cup finals, triumphing on just one occasion. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s side have won two of the previous five showpieces.
'Weak' foot. 😅 https://t.co/8qBgkAuVpk pic.twitter.com/yobQsDeQBT— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 17, 2024
'Weak' foot. 😅 https://t.co/8qBgkAuVpk pic.twitter.com/yobQsDeQBT
Let’s start by looking at the defending champions, Man City, who were eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Despite racking up 68% possession and 33 shots during 90 minutes and extra time, Guardiola’s men lost 4-3 on penalties, with Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic missing from the spot.
Still, the Cityzens have not tasted defeat in 90 minutes in any of their last 28 matches across all competitions, notching 22 victories along the way.
In the FA Cup, Guardiola’s side have scored 14 goals across four wins this season (3.5 goals per game), dispatching Huddersfield, Tottenham, Luton and Newcastle.
As for Chelsea, they head into Saturday’s showdown on the back of a 6-0 thrashing of Everton, with Cole Palmer scoring four goals at Stamford Bridge.
The victory extended the Blues’ unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions, with five wins and three draws coming since their last loss.
Better still, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have lost just one of their previous 12 games, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the EFL Cup final back in February.
It is also worth noting that Chelsea have won four and drawn one of their FA Cup matches this season, scoring 14 goals in the process (2.8 goals per game).
Head-to-head: Man City and Chelsea have already played out two draws in the Premier League this term, producing a memorable eight-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.
The two sides have met in the FA Cup on five occasions since 2013. Although Chelsea have won two of the last three meetings, City have won three of the previous five.
Team news: Manchester City have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of the semi-finals, meaning Guardiola has a full-strength squad at his disposal.
By contrast, Chelsea’s lengthy injury list contains Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez and Lesley Ugochukwu.
The Blues have managed to frustrate the Cityzens on two occasions this season, but they will likely struggle to avoid defeat for a third time.
Forebet’s AI algorithm predicts that Manchester City will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Chelsea.