Holders Chelsea continue their FA Cup defence with a
tricky semi-final against Manchester City at
Wembley. Rafa Benitez's side have been on a fine run
of form in recent weeks, having defeated Premier
League champions-elect Manchester United in the
quarter-final and Rubin Kazan over two legs to reach
the Europa League semis.
Manchester City, too, will be hoping to ride the wave
of their recent fortunes, after also defeating fierce
rivals United on Monday. Having all but secured
second place in the Premier League, and with no
European competition to worry about, the 2011
winners will undoubtedly send out a full-strength
eleven come Sunday.
Sunday's game will be Chelsea's sixth in just 16
days. Their defence has been badly hit by injury; with
Ashley Cole (hamstring) and Gary Cahill (knee both
doubtful, Benitez's back four has almost been chosen
for him. However, they will be able to rely on the
freshness of key players such as Juan Mata and Eden
Hazard, both of whom were rested in Thursday's 3-2
defeat in Moscow. Ryan Bertran (illness) and Demba
Ba (ankle) are both expected to recover in time for
Sunday.
City will be sweating over the fitness of Spanish
playmaker David Silva, who pulled up with a
hamstring problem against United on Monday.
Roberto Mancini has said that the club will decide on
Sunday morning whether he is fit enough to play.
City are also without right-backs Maicon (knee) and
Micah Richards (knee).
For Roberto Mancini, this is simply a must-win game.
With persistent rumours about his future at the club,
the Italian needs to make the most of his last
opportunity at silverware this season to cement his
position. Rafa, meanwhile, is under absolutely no
pressure. Having already confirmed that he will be
leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, this semi-
final is a strictly CV-building exercise. Some Chelsea
fans have voiced their concerns about this; they fear
that cup form is being prioritised over a fourth place
finish in the Premier League.
Judging by Thursday's Europa League performance,
Mancini will be telling his side to pump balls into the
Chelsea box. John Obi Mikel and John Terry were both
caught napping against Rubin Kazan, which twice
gave the Russians the simplest of finishes. Benitez,
meanwhile, will be relying heavily on his three
attacking midfielders to play with the panache that
they did early in the season. Rafa also faces –
perhaps for the first time this season – a serious
selection headache up front. The masked Fernando
Torres has been in hot goalscoring form recently
(with three goals in three games), while Demba Ba
will be fresh after being cup-tied for Thursday's
Europa League clash.
tricky semi-final against Manchester City at
Wembley. Rafa Benitez's side have been on a fine run
of form in recent weeks, having defeated Premier
League champions-elect Manchester United in the
quarter-final and Rubin Kazan over two legs to reach
the Europa League semis.
Manchester City, too, will be hoping to ride the wave
of their recent fortunes, after also defeating fierce
rivals United on Monday. Having all but secured
second place in the Premier League, and with no
European competition to worry about, the 2011
winners will undoubtedly send out a full-strength
eleven come Sunday.
Sunday's game will be Chelsea's sixth in just 16
days. Their defence has been badly hit by injury; with
Ashley Cole (hamstring) and Gary Cahill (knee both
doubtful, Benitez's back four has almost been chosen
for him. However, they will be able to rely on the
freshness of key players such as Juan Mata and Eden
Hazard, both of whom were rested in Thursday's 3-2
defeat in Moscow. Ryan Bertran (illness) and Demba
Ba (ankle) are both expected to recover in time for
Sunday.
City will be sweating over the fitness of Spanish
playmaker David Silva, who pulled up with a
hamstring problem against United on Monday.
Roberto Mancini has said that the club will decide on
Sunday morning whether he is fit enough to play.
City are also without right-backs Maicon (knee) and
Micah Richards (knee).
For Roberto Mancini, this is simply a must-win game.
With persistent rumours about his future at the club,
the Italian needs to make the most of his last
opportunity at silverware this season to cement his
position. Rafa, meanwhile, is under absolutely no
pressure. Having already confirmed that he will be
leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, this semi-
final is a strictly CV-building exercise. Some Chelsea
fans have voiced their concerns about this; they fear
that cup form is being prioritised over a fourth place
finish in the Premier League.
Judging by Thursday's Europa League performance,
Mancini will be telling his side to pump balls into the
Chelsea box. John Obi Mikel and John Terry were both
caught napping against Rubin Kazan, which twice
gave the Russians the simplest of finishes. Benitez,
meanwhile, will be relying heavily on his three
attacking midfielders to play with the panache that
they did early in the season. Rafa also faces –
perhaps for the first time this season – a serious
selection headache up front. The masked Fernando
Torres has been in hot goalscoring form recently
(with three goals in three games), while Demba Ba
will be fresh after being cup-tied for Thursday's
Europa League clash.
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