Chelsea welcome Sheffield United to Stamford Bridge in the Quarter-Finals of 2020-21 FA Cup.
Victory would see Chelsea advance to the semi-finals for the fourth time in five seasons, whereas Sheffield Utd look to progress one stage further than they managed last season.
Team News
Andreas Christiansen is a doubt for Chelsea after missing their midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid through illness.
Tammy Abraham (ankle) could return if deemed fit but Thiago Silva (thigh) is still ruled out, as Mason Mount and Jorginho return from suspension which only applied to European competition.
Sheffield Utd could welcome David McGoldrick back after a knee injury kept him out of their five goal thrashing at Leicester last weekend.
John Egan (toe), Sander Berge (hamstring), Jack Robinson (foot), Jack Rodwell (fitness) and Jack O’Connell (knee) are all ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Chelsea have won four of five previous FA Cup ties against Sheffield United (W4, L1), with only the winning team scoring on all five occasions.
- Sheffield Utd have lost all three FA Cup trips to Stamford Bridge without scoring (L3), although they did lose two of those visits by 1-0 results.
- Tammy Abrahams has scored four goals in Chelsea’s last two FA Cup matches.
- Billy Sharp has scored in each of Sheffield Utd’s last two FA Cup matches, with both goals coming after half-time.
- Andrew Madley is yet to referee a cup game involving Chelsea and Sheffield United this season.
Prediction
Chelsea come into this match in strong form with no defeats under Thomas Tuchel and delivered a dominant Champions League performance in midweek, yet finishing seems to be a constant issue under Tuchel’s management despite results suggesting otherwise.
Sheffield Utd meanwhile delivered a decent first half display at Leicester last weekend, yet poor defending on the flanks particularly proved their downfall repeatedly so will need tightening up here if to avoid an embarrassing exit.
Given the contrast in not just quality but form and morale between these two teams, I really can’t see anything other than a home win but Chelsea’s end product issues will probably keep this result slightly respectable for the Blades.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United
Result: Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United
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