Chelsea FC Visit MK Dons: Confirmed Line-Ups And Analysis
Chelsea FC visit MK Dons this afternoon for a fourth round FA Cup tie. The teams have now been confirmed by Guus Hiddink and Karl Robinson.
Chelsea look to continue their match towards another Wembley final when they square off with MK Dons. Let’s check out how the two teams will line-up.
MK Dons
David Martin;
Jordan Spence, Kyle McFadzean, Joe Walsh, Dean Lewington (C);
Darren Potter, Jake Forster-Caskey;
Samir Carruthers, Rob Hall, Josh Murphy;
Dean Bowditch
Subs: Cropper, Hodson, Kay, Williams, Powell, Church, Maynard
Chelsea FC
Thibaut Courtois;
Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry (C), Baba Rahman;
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nemanja Matic;
Oscar, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard;
Diego Costa
Subs: Begovic, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Mikel, Pedro, Willian, Traore
More chelsea fc: Chelsea FC’s 3 Keys To Victory Over MK Dons
Guus Hiddink has thankfully opted to pick a strong starting line-up for this clash. The FA Cup represents the club’s only realistic opportunity to get some silverware this season and evidently this is not lost on the interim boss.
Gary Cahill will partner John Terry at the heart of the defence today as Kurt Zouma sits out. The Frenchman has been one of the better players in recent months and has likely been rested instead of dropped. Cahill is, of course, more than suitable in his place.
Cesar Azpilicueta, meanwhile, is also on the bench today as Baba Rahman comes in at left-back. The Ghanaian has had limited playing time so far this season but he gets the nod this afternoon. Baba has looked decent on the few occasions that he has taken the field and he will undoubtedly be eager to show that he belongs with the Blues.
In a move that will put smiles on the faces of all Chelsea fans, Ruben Loftus-Cheek also starts. Supporters have been crying out for his inclusion for many months but neither Jose Mourinho nor Hiddink have appeared keen to utilise him. However, Hiddink does have him in the starting eleven for this Dons clash and, much like Baba, the Englishman will want to impress. John Obi Mikel is the man to make way.
The last of Hiddink’s four changes sees Eden Hazard return. The Belgian was on the bench for the Arsenal game having just recovered from injury but the manager evidently feels that this is the right situation to get him up to match speed. He comes in for Willian, who is rested after carrying the team over the last few months.
Interestingly, Asmir Begovic does not come in for Thibaut Courtois even though he played in the previous round.
Robinson, meanwhile, makes three changes after losing to Bolton 3-1. Rob Hall, Kyle McFadzean and Dean Bowditch all come in for Jonny Williams, Anthony Kay and Simon Church respectively.
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What do you think of the teams? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the comments below!