Chelsea FC Host Manchester City: Confirmed Line-Ups And Analysis
Chelsea FC and Manchester City do battle shortly in a fifth round FA Cup tie. Guus Hiddink and Manuel Pellegrini have confirmed their starting elevens.
In a repeat of their fifth round clash in the 2013/14 season, Chelsea and Man City will lock horns once again in the FA Cup. Blues interim boss Guus Hiddink and outgoing City manager Manuel Pellegrini have handed in their team sheets.
| Chelsea FC | Manchester City |
|---|---|
| Thibaut Courtois | Willy Caballero |
| Cesar Azpilicueta | Pablo Zabaleta |
| Gary Cahill | Tosin Adarabioyo |
| Branislav Ivanovic (C) | Martin Demichelis |
| Baba Rahman | Aleksandr Kolarov |
| John Obi Mikel | Fernando |
| Cesc Fabregas | Aleix Garcia |
| Pedro | Manu Garcia |
| Willian | Bersant Celina |
| Eden Hazard | Kelechi Iheanacho |
| Diego Costa | David Faupaula |
| Subs | Subs |
| Asmir Begovic | Joe Hart |
| Matt Miazga | Gael Clichy |
| Nemanja Matic | Cameron Humphreys |
| Ruben Loftus-Cheek | Vincent Kompany |
| Oscar | Fernandinho |
| Bertrand Traore | Brandon Barker |
| Loic Remy | Raheem Sterling |
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Hiddink has chosen to stick with Thibaut Courtois in goal for this contest. Asmir Begovic was between the sticks for the third round clash with Scunthorpe United, but the Belgian was reinstated for the MK Dons match and keeps his place in this cup tie. Begovic is by no means a poor goalkeeper and thus it is slightly odd that he isn’t being afforded game time in this competition.
John Terry is still unavailable after that bizarre injury he picked up last weekend, meaning that Chelsea will field the same back four that attempted to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic at bay midweek. After what was arguably the biggest game of his career, Baba Rahman starts another high-profile clash for the Blues.
Nemanja Matic was suspended for Tuesday’s PSG game, clearing room for John Obi Mikel. An evident favourite of the Dutch manager, Mikel continues alongside Cesc Fabregas in the centre of midfield. Matic has still not found any of his 2015/16 magic and his exclusion allows Fabregas to play in the deeper role from which he can more effectively control a game.
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Further forward, Eden Hazard keeps his starting spot in a move that will undoubtedly frustrate some Chelsea fans. After spending a couple of games on the bench, the Belgian was reinstated to the eleven last week. He was less than impressive against Newcastle and was even more disappointing in Paris on Tuesday. With the likes of Bertrand Traore patiently awaiting his opportunity, Hazard needs to step up to the plate soon.
Willian and Pedro both continue in this unchanged side. The latter caught the eye offensively last weekend and defensively against PSG. Perhaps we are finally seeing the true player that was bought for some £20 million in the summer.
As expected, Manuel Pellegrini has named a weakened City team. The Chilean has stated that Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Dynamo Kyiv is his priority and he has followed through with claims to field kids. Half of this team will be unknown to most people who are not City fans and thus Chelsea are the strong favourites to progress.
However, Pellegrini has wisely kept Raheem Sterling on the bench, leaving the visitors with a game-changing option late in the game. Kelechi Iheanacho should also be watched, as he has previously shown his goalscoring ability.
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What do you think of the teams? Will this weakened City outfit be able to upset Chelsea on their home turf? Let us know in the comments below!