Chelsea FC meet a significant hurdle in their quest for FA Cup glory as they are drawn against Manchester City in the fifth round of the competition.
After what was a great afternoon for Chelsea, a combination of Mark Lawrenson and Ruud Gullit have drawn the Blues against Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Oh god.
The club had just coasted past MK Dons, defeating a frankly awful team 5-1 in their own stadium, and now they have learned that their task will be significantly more difficult in a few weeks’ time.
They were the first ball drawn out of the hat, with City being the second, meaning that the tie will take place at Stamford Bridge. At least that is one positive that Blues fans can take.
The Mancunians were equally as impressive in their fourth round fixture yesterday. In an all-Premier League affair away to Aston Villa, City disaptched the Championship-bound outfit 4-0.
Now, two giants of English football will meet at a relatively early stage of this season’s FA Cup. This is far from ideal for the Blues as they looked to triumph in the only tournament that they have a realistic shot at winning. You may remember that Man City thrashed Chelsea 3-0 in their Premier League fixture back in August.
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Having said that, the players look significantly better than they did under Jose Mourinho, as Guus Hiddink has seemingly reinvigorated the side. As a result, Blues fans should not (and will not) be pessimistic heading into the meeting. City have shown several vulnerabilities in this campaign and Chelsea are more than capable of exploiting them.
Furthermore, they would likely meet one of the top clubs en route to a potential final anyway. If anything, this gives the Blues an opportunity to get one of the big boys out of the way early. Given that Guus Hiddink has never lost a FA Cup tie in charge of Chelsea, belief should be strong.
Nevertheless, with Manchester United drawing the likes of Shrewsbury Town and Arsenal hosting Hull City, you always wonder what could have been.
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Here is the fifth round draw in full, with all ties set to take place on the weekend of 20th February:
Chelsea FC v Manchester City
Reading v West Bromwich Albion/Peterborough United
Watford v Leeds United
Shrewsbury Town v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool/West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace
Arsenal v Hull City
AFC Bournemouth v Everton