Chelsea vs Crystal Palace FA Cup preview – Prediction, team news, line-ups | OneFootball

Chelsea will take on Crystal Palace in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium.

The Blues recently suffered elimination from the Champions League, but gave a good account of themselves. After a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final, they managed to win at the Bernabeu by a 3-2 scoreline. However, it was not sufficient to prolong their title defence.

Despite the setback, manager Thomas Tuchel was delighted with the showing away from home. The Blues should go into the cup tie high on confidence. The club are aiming to make the FA Cup final for the third-season running. They have lost to Arsenal and Leicester City in the last two campaigns.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have been on the ascendancy under manager Patrick Vieira this term. The south London outfit have been giant-killers with Premier League victories over Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and nearly bagged a point from Chelsea’s visit to Selhurst Park.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace will be available to watch live on TV in the United Kingdom. You can also review these FA Cup live streaming options if you are outside the UK.

Match Preview

Chelsea

The Blues recently suffered back-to-back heavy defeats against Brentford and Madrid at home, but have since registered successive victories on the road. That includes a 6-0 drubbing of Southampton.

The west London giants nearly progressed to the last four of the Champions League as well with a 3-0 lead at the Bernabeu, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side showed their experience with a late comeback.

Ahead of Sunday’s derby, Chelsea appear the firm favourites to make the final. They have won nine straight meetings against the Eagles including another league double this campaign.

The Blues will be hoping to go all the way this time around, having suffered the disappointment of losing out to Arsenal and Leicester City in the previous two finals of the famous old competition.

Crystal Palace

It has been a mixed campaign for the Eagles in the Premier League, but there has been plenty of progress. The club are well clear of the drop zone, and are currently lying 10th in the standings.

They will go into the Blues game as underdogs and are regarded as rank outsiders to lift the trophy. However, Vieira will be hoping that his team can come up with their best for Saturday’s derby.

The most recent meeting at Selhurst Park ended 1-0 in the Blues’ favour. The Eagles looked good value to share the spoils against their rivals before Hakim Ziyech’s 89th-minute winner.

They will need to show a similar defensive resolve at Wembley tomorrow to end their dreadful record against the Blues. Palace have not tasted success in the fixture since 2017.

Team News

Chelsea

Ben Chilwell has been ruled out for the long-term following his knee surgery in December. Alongside him, Callum Hudson-Odoi has been sidelined for weeks with an Achilles injury. Romelu Lukaku had an Achilles problem of his own, but has now returned to full training. Ross Barkley is also available for selection after a bout of illness.

Crystal Palace

Nathan Ferguson is a confirmed absentee with a hamstring injury. However, Michael Olise (foot), Tyrick Mitchell (calf) and Will Hughes (knock) could be deemed fit to make the squad. Conor Gallagher will be the big miss as he is ineligible to face his parent club. The England star is currently on a season-long loan from the Blues.

Predicted Line-ups

Chelsea (3-4-1-2): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Marcos Alonso; Mason Mount; Kai Havertz, Timo Werner.

Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Vicente Guaita; Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; James McArthur, Cheikhou Kouyate, Jeffrey Schlupp; Jordan Ayew, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Prediction

Chelsea are firm favourites for the semi-final outing, and should be backed to reach yet another FA Cup final. Palace have struggled in the fixture over the years. It has been a similar scenario this term with just one shot on target over two meetings. The absence of Gallagher could be a big blow for them. He has 13 goal contributions, and has also played a key part in their build-up play.

Chelsea 2-0 Crystal Palace