Manchester United and Chelsea have been regular opponents in the FA Cup and on Sunday will meet at Wembley in the semifinals.
Chelsea have won two of the last three meetings against Manchester United in the FA Cup. They claimed the tournament’s trophy in 2017-18 in the final at Wembley 1-0 against the Red Devils. The teams were under different management at the time with Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho in charge.
Neither team made it to the final a season ago, but Manchester United did thrash the Blues 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the early rounds. The two clubs have already met three times this season with Manchester United winning the trio of fixtures in league and cup matches.
The Red Devils twice won at Stamford Bridge and claimed an emphatic 4-0 victory at Old Trafford. Manchester United outscored Chelsea 8-1 over the course of the three games.
Both clubs head into the semifinal having won their most recent league game. Chelsea defeated Norwich City 1-0 while Manchester United claimed a 2-0 win thanks to another controversial moment.
Victor Lindelof’s tackle on Wilfried Zaha in the penalty area was not reviewed by VAR and the ensuing Manchester United attack led to a Marcus Rashford goal. The tackle was a foul but the most egregious part of the play was VAR didn’t review it.
Frank Lampard is sweating the fitness of midfielder N’Golo Kante. The combative World Cup winner is the ideal player to slow down Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba. If he misses out, it will be a big loss. The manager is also without midfielder Billy Gilmour who underwent knee surgery.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got forward Mason Greenwood fit in time for the midweek game against Crystal Palace. He could start on the right side of a front three but Daniel James could be preferred if Greenwood’s fitness isn’t 100%.
Full-backs Brandon Williams and Luke Shaw are both listed as injured. The two players are expected to undergo fitness tests in the two days leading up to the game.
Although Manchester United won three games in league and cup matches this term, Chelsea should be a much more difficult team to defeat. A lot is riding on the match for both clubs.
Lampard and Solskjaer are both desperate to get silverware, so expect a close fixture. The semifinal should finish with under 2.5 goals as these teams draw and need extra-time to decide the winner.