Preview: Chelsea vs. Manchester City, FA Cup Semi-final

Location: Wembley Stadium, London

Time and Date, 4 pm GMT, 830 pm IST, Sunday 14 April 2013

Referee Christopher Foy, Assistant Referees Michael Mullarkey & Stuart Burt, Fourth Official Kevin Friend

In a match that is sure to attract fans and neutrals alike, Chelsea take on Manchester City in the FA Cup at Wembley with both sides looking to book a place in the final where they will take on Wigan Athletic, who beat Millwall 2-0 yesterday.

For both these mega-rich sides, tonight’s game represents their best chance to win a trophy this season. Manchester City’s odds of winning the Premier League title are slim at best, and while Chelsea are one of the strongest remaining teams in the Europa League, nothing is guaranteed in Cup football.

Form

Chelsea: LWWWL

11/04/2013: Rubin Kazan, 2-3 (A), UEFA Europa League

07/04/2013: Sunderland, 2-1 (H), Barclays Premier League

04/04/2013: Rubin Kazan, 3-1 (H), UEFA Europa Leauge

01/04/2013: Manchester United, 1-0 (H), FA Cup

30/03/2013: Southampton, 1-2 (A), Barclays Premier League

Given their Champions League and Club World Cup commitments, the Blues have the heaviest fixture list across all of Europe. The above games would provide testament to that. Flying to Russia to face Rubin Kazan and a replay to negotiate their previous game in the FA Cup against Manchester United would have only added to the exhaustion these players face.

But the Blues are the defending champions of this trophy and are unbeaten in their last 29 games in the competition, having won 23 and drawing six, penalty shootouts excluded. The Londoners have also won the FA Cup four times in the last six years. The two teams have faced each other thrice in this competition, with Chelsea winning one of those games.

The last time the two teams locked horns was on the 24th of February this year, when City beat Chelsea 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium with goals from Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure.

Manchester City:

08/04/2013: Manchester United, 2-1 (A), Barclays Premier League

30/03/2013: Newcastle United, 4-0 (H), Barclays Premier League

16/03/2013: Everton, 0-2 (A), Barclays Premier League

09/03/2013: Barnsley, 5-0 (H), FA Cup

04/03/2013: Aston Villa, 1-0 (A), Barclays Premier League

Manchester City’s players have had a good six days rest in comparison with their London counterparts, who travelled to Russia only three days ago, and should therefore be fresher.

While there is no doubting the quality that exists within the City ranks, there has been a certain lack of desire observed when they take to the field. Nowhere was it more evident than on their travels at Everton, where they failed to get past a side reduced to ten men after Steven Pienaar was sent off. Goals from Leon Osman and Nikica Jelavic gave the Toffees a memorable home win.

In the FA Cup, however, City have recent history of their own. They won the trophy in 2011, with Yaya Toure’s lone goal giving them silverware against Stoke. Against Chelsea, the Citizens have won two the three games in this competition and also won a medal this season at the expense of the Londoners, beating them 3-2 in the Community Shield.

Team News

Chelsea

Interim Boss Rafael Benitez will be expected to chop and change for this game, having left out many first team regulars in Russia, where Academy graduate Nathan Ake started alongside Frank Lampard in midfield.

The Spaniard should be able to recall Demba Ba to the squad, as he is recovering from an ankle knock; but the game looks to be coming too soon for the defensive duo of Ashley Cole (hamstring) and Gary Cahill (knee). Defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Squad (from): Petr ?ech, Branislav Ivanovi?, David Luiz, Ramires, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Oscar Emboaba, John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Eden Hazard, Paulo Ferreira, Marko Marin, Ross Turnbull, John Terry (captain), César Azpilicueta, Demba Ba, Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Bertrand, Henrique Hilário, Nathan Aké, Florent Malouda

Probable Starting XI: Cech; Azpilicueta, Terry, Luiz, Bertrand, Mikel, Ramires, Mata; Marin, Oscar, Torres

Manchester City

While there is depth in City’s squad, that will be tested now as Roberto Mancini has key midfielder David Silva nursing a hamstring injury and he is expected to give the Spain midfielder until later today to prove his fitness.

Although Argentine Sergio Aguero scored a wonderful solo goal against Manchester United, he is still not fully match fit and could start this game from the bench as he returns from a knee injury.

Defender Micah Richards has returned to full training, but it not yet match fit. Jack Rodwell (hamstring) and Douglas Maicon (knee) are both injured.

Squad (from): Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Vincent Kompany (captain), Pablo Zabaleta, Joleon Lescott, James Milner, Samir Nasri, Edin Džeko, Scott Sinclair, Aleksandar Kolarov, Javi García, Sergio Agüero, Gareth Barry, David Silva, Gaël Clichy, Kolo Touré, Richard Wright, Costel Pantilimon, Carlos Tévez, Matija Nastasi?, Yaya Touré, John Guidetti, Abdul Razak

Probable Starting XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Lescott, Kompany, Kolarov; Garcia, Yaya Toure, Milner; Nasri, Dzeko, Tevez

Key Men

Chelsea: Juan Mata

With 14 goals and 16 assists in all competition for the Blues, diminutive Mata is one of the Blues’ top performers this season. As a testament to that, five of those assists have come in the FA Cup.

The Euro 2012 winner will most likely looking to be adding to that statistic at Wembley against Manchester City.

Manchester City: Carlos Tevez

With the duo of Silva and Aguero most likely not starting this game, the onus to perform will belong to Carlos Tevez.

Although he has only scored ten goals this season – surely a poor return by his standards – he will want to add to the reputation which makes him one of the most feared strikers in the world. The Argentine has scored half his goals in the FA Cup, including a hat trick in the previous round against Barnsley.

Prediction

Both sides will be desperate for a place in the final, but with Roberto Mancini having more to prove than Chelsea’s Rafa Benitez, who will leave Stamford Bridge next summer, this game is bound to be entertaining. The tie in 1986, where Chelsea won 5-4 at the old Wembley comes to mind.

But Mancini will be hoping his team can continue the recent trend of beating Chelsea.

Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City