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Former Liverpool forward Michael Owen believes Chelsea will secure a narrow 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the semifinals of the FA Cup on Sunday, 17 April. The winner of this tie will face Liverpool in the final next month.
Owen feels Crystal Palace have enough quality to cause a few issues for Thomas Tuchel's side. However, the Blues should still make it through to the showpiece match at Wembley Stadium.
The former player-turned-pundit wrote the following in his column for BetVictor (via Football London):
“I think Palace will play with nothing to lose and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them score here. I just think Chelsea will be too strong. I think they’ll enter this with renewed optimism after Tuesday’s performance and win this.”
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Chelsea come into this match after suffering an exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid. Despite being 3-1 down in the first leg, the Blues were exceptionally close to winning the tie before Karim Benzema netted the winner in extra time.
The London club have a chance of making it into their third consecutive FA Cup final. However, they have suffered defeats in both of their previous two appearances in the final.
Chelsea, under the management of Frank Lampard, lost to Arsenal in 2020. Thomas Tuchel's side also suffered the same fate last year when they were defeated in the final by Leicester City.
A repeat of the 2022 Carabao Cup final is on the cards if the Blues manage to beat Crystal Palace in the semifinals on Sunday. Chelsea lost to the Reds in a penalty shootout on that occasion.
Meanwhile, Liverpool secured a narrow 3-2 win over Premier League title-rivals Manchester City in the other FA Cup semifinal on Saturday, 16 April.
Chelsea have already won two trophies this season
Thomas Tuchel has already guided his side to two trophies in the 2021-22 season. Following their Champions League triumph last season, the Blues secured a place in the UEFA Super Cup as well as the FIFA Club World Cup this season. They managed to win both.
The west London club started the season by beating La Liga side Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup. They then traveled to the United Arab Emirates to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year.
The Blues defeated Brazilian outfit Palmeiras 2-1 in the final to claim their first Club World Cup trophy.
