Chelsea welcome Luton Town to Stamford Bridge in a Super Sunday lunchtime kick-off as both teams look to book their spot in the Fifth Round.
The winner of this tie will visit Barnsley at Oakwell in the Fifth Round.
Team News
Olivier Giroud is set to feature for Chelsea after recovering from an ankle injury suffered during last weekend’s win at Fulham.
N’Golo Kante (hamstring) remains a doubt but won’t be risked until deemed fully fit, whilst Kai Havertz is set to start amongst several changes for the Blues.
Luton will have Tom Lockyer available for selection after his red card at Brentford in midweek was successfully overturned on appeal, meaning that Hatters manager – Nathan Jones has a full squad available for selection.
Stat Attack
- Chelsea have lost just one of four FA Cup clashes against Luton (W2, D1, L1)
- Luton are winless in three previous FA Cup trips to Stamford Bridge (W2, D1).
- Frank Lampard’s Blues have avoided defeat in their last 13 FA Cup meetings against lower league opposition (W11, D2).
Prediction
Chelsea simply need to produce a strong performance here because if they start play like they did at Leicester, specifically in terms of loose defending and being outplayed on the flanks then Luton definitely has to fancy their chances given their hard-working ethic as a team.
Luton’s away form however has dropped in recent months with one win in their last seven trips on the road, which coupled with Chelsea’s strong FA Cup form against lower league opposition suggests that this could be an one-sided affair.
I however reckon that this could be closer than many expect given the Blues’ drop in form and questions surrounding Lampard’s future, although this should be a fairly routine win in the end.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Luton
Result: Chelsea 3-1 Luton
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