"It's a tricky one" - Terry Phelan chooses between Lukaku and Havertz as Chelsea forward for FA Cup final against Liverpool

Former Chelsea defender Terry Phelan has named his preferred player to lead the Blues' attack in the FA Cup final against Liverpool on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel has deployed both Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz in the striker's role during different phases of the ongoing campaign.

Lukaku, who returned to Chelsea on a club-record deal last summer, started the season as the main man, scoring four goals in his first five games across all competitions.

However, his form deteriorated, which resulted in Tuchel opting to trust Havertz as a false-nine. In addition to being troubled by injuries, Lukaku was also at the center of controversy after a self-sabotaging interview.

While the Belgian endured a dramatic fall from grace at Stamford Bridge, Havertz slowly but steadily stepped up. The German netted the winning goal for Chelsea during the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras and found the back of the net four times in three league games during March.

Havertz's rise to prominence initated the debate of whether he fits the Chelsea system better than Lukaku. But lately, Lukaku has shown signs of promise. The 28-year-old has netted three goals in his last two games after replacing Havertz in the line-up.

As such, Phelan is of the opinion that Lukaku should lead the line for a third straight game when Chelsea face Liverpool in the FA Cup final. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, he stated:

"Goals breed confidence for strikers. With Lukaku, he has to have the ball in the right areas [to be effective]. If you look at his goal [against Wolves], the way he spun and put the ball into the bottom corner was absolutely brilliant. He got the penalty [as well for the first goal].

Phelan is of the opinion that Lukaku and his physical presence could be of use to Chelsea against the Liverpool defense marshaled by Virgil van Dijk.

"That’s his strength, one-on-one, being nice and tight and rolling centre-backs. I think they need a physical presence up front playing against Van Dijk and company. They need that physical presence to hold the ball up and then bring other players into the game.

The Irishman also highlighted Havertz's style of play, but maintained how he would prefer Lukaku to start in the final.

"Will he play at the weekend? I would think so after the goals he scored. We know the form Havertz has been in, we know he gets on the end of things. He comes into the box a little bit later with his late runs so it’s a tricky one [to choose who starts against Liverpool]. For me, I think you’ve got to go with Lukaku.”

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Chelsea will be determined to exact revenge on Liverpool during FA Cup final

The Blues suffered a heart-breaking loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final in February. Jurgen Klopp and company edged out their counterparts 11-10 on penalties, with Chelsea custodian Kepa Arrizabalaga blazing his spot-kick over the cross-bar.

Despite defeat in the cup final, the west London club are yet to suffer a loss to Liverpool in normal time. Notably, each of the two Premier League games between the sides ended in draws.

The Blues now have the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on Liverpool. They will be determined to lift the trophy at Wembley on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how the action unfolds over the course of the highly-anticipated final.

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Watch The Emirates FA Cup Final - Liverpool vs. Chelsea LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 14th May 2022, at 9:15 pm IST.