Chelsea at Luton Town: Three things to look for in FA Cup contest

Chelsea is now getting into the business end of the season. In recent weeks, the Blues have completed their Carabao Cup campaign, won the FIFA Club World Cup, completed the first UEFA Champions League knockout stage contest and now it turns its attention to the fifth round of the FA Cup. At this stage there are no more Chesterfields or Plymouth Argyles left for Thomas Tuchel’s men to compete against, only the biggest and best that England has to offer for the remainder of the competition. They are matched up with Luton Town in the next round of the tournament, who they will face off against on Wednesday.

Although the prospect of facing the Hatters may seem like a mouth-watering proposition to some, I promise it’ll be anything but easy for Chelsea. Luton Town has been beaten just twice since the beginning of December and it sits sixth in the Championship table at this moment in time. The Hatters have massive victories over Bournemouth, Derby County, Stoke City and West Brom during that time, which will undoubtedly give them confidence against the Blues in front of a ruckus home crowd under the lights. Chelsea will have to dig deep to book its place in the quarterfinals, so what are some of the key talking points ahead of the highly anticipated bout?

Here are three things to look for in the FA Cup clash at Kenilworth Road:

1. Response

It’s a well-known fact that the Blues have been virtually impossible to beat since Thomas Tuchel took the reins at Stamford Bridge. There have only been a handful of sides who have managed to defeat Chelsea during the German’s time in charge and that list includes heavy hitters such as Manchester City, Juventus, Liverpool and West Ham. A plethora of draws have been sprinkled in every now and again, but the Blues seldom lose to opposition they’re supposed to beat.

All of that being said, this makes it infinitely more challenging to be the second team in a row to better the reigning World Champions. September is the last—and only—time two clubs achieved this feat since Tuchel took charge in January 2021. Before that, one must go back to December of 2020 to find the last time the Blues lost a couple of games consecutively, and that was under Frank Lampard. The English manager was also the last one to oversee a victory over Wednesday’s foes, a 3-1 win in his last game in charge. Tammy Abraham’s hat-trick sealed the deal for the host.

While four of the 11 Chelsea starters in that contest are no longer with the first team, the Hatters will still face a tough task if they want to advance to the last eight of the FA Cup. The Blues are coming off a rare defeat, an 11-10 penalty shootout loss versus Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. The last time that Tuchel’s squad was defeated in a domestic final, the 2021 FA Cup final versus Leicester City, it responded by beating Man City in the Champions League’s conclusion in Porto.

The response is likely going to be a stern one from a manager who demands excellence from his players. The game is going to be a scrappy affair, but Tuchel will have his team ready to bounce back. The Blues seldom stay on the ground after being knocked down. Expect to see the same resiliency from the largest club in London on Wednesday as they travel to Luton.