Manchester City vs Chelsea predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable line-ups | OneFootball

Manchester City will play Chelsea in the first FA Cup semi-final of the season on Saturday 20th April at Wembley. The match will kick off at 5.15pm and will be televised on BBC One.

Manchester City’s dreams of repeating last season’s treble have been dashed after they suffered a shootout defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday and they could have just the Premier League to go for if they are beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Londoners have drawn both of their matches against the Citizens this season and we could be in for another action-packed encounter, after the teams shared eight goals in a league draw in November.

The last meeting between the teams also finished level as Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw at the Etihad in February and the Blues will take heart from their recent fine run of form where they have not been beaten in 90 minutes in 12 games.

That run did include an extra-time defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, but it looks as if some of the problems Chelsea suffered with inconsistency during the first half of the campaign have eased and there has been enough good news recently to suggest they can give last season’s treble winners a real test.

Despite their midweek heartache and a drop in form from star striker Erling Haaland, City have scored 13 goals in their last three Premier League games and Chelsea have also been free-scoring, netting an impressive 26 in their last eight.

Cole Palmer has grabbed most of the headlines after going level with Haaland at the top of the league goalscoring charts with 20 strikes, and the young star will be anxious to impress against his former club, who may not be greatly changed from the team that started against Madrid.

Man City vs Chelsea Team News

Haaland was withdrawn at the end of normal time but that looks to have been a tactical move as the Norwegian has no reported injury issue.

The biggest decision manager Pep Guardiola could make is who to play in goal, as Stefan Ortega has been between the posts for their FA Cup games this season but the temptation could be there for usual number one Ederson to start in such an important game.

For Chelsea, midfielder Enzo Fernandez is expected to come back into the side after missing Monday’s 6-0 victory over Everton, but Pochettino is still unable to call upon the services of a number of other key players.

Reece James, Christopher Nkunku and Lesley Ugochukwu all have hamstring injuries, while Weley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill are all set to miss out as well.

The Argentinian manager will also be deprived of Cesare Casadei, who is cup-tied after playing for Leicester in an earlier round after being on loan at the King Power Stadium in the first half of the season.

Man City vs Chelsea Predicted XIs