Chelsea wishes to overturn their disappointment in the Champions League by beating Crystal Palace in the London derby to reach the FA Cup final. Manchester City or Liverpool wait for them at the showpiece to be played next month.
Patrick Vieria's men's seven-game unbeaten streak was ended by Leicester last week but they are flying high in this competition conceding only two goals. Palace aims to get into the final for only the third time in their history.
CHL vs CRY FA Cup 2021-22 Semi Final Match Details :
Date: Sunday, 17th April 2022
Time: 16:30 (BST)/ 21:00 (IST)
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
FA Cup 2021-22 Semi Final Match Preview :
Thomas Tuchel's men thought they have grab Real Madrid by the throat turning a 3-1 deficit from the first leg to 4-3 on aggregate with 15 minutes left on the watch in the Champions League quarterfinals. As often with the competition kings, Los Blancos found a way to get back in the tie through a cross of genius from Luka Modric resulting in Rodrygo's goal forcing extra time. There Karim Benzema inflicted the same pain as in Stamford Bridge to knock the holders out. Tuchel said his team is disappointed but confident from their display to charge for the only piece of trophy left to compete this season. Chelsea also reached the EFL Cup final in February after winning the FIFA Club World Cup just weeks before. Certainly, Tuchel has made them a proper knockout competition team. Chelsea wishes these experiences help them on the path. The Blues did qualify for the FA Cup final last year losing to Leicester City. To feel more optimistic, they have also progressed from the FA Cup semifinal stage in nine of the last 10 attempts. All this is keeping Chelsea ahead of Palace but they are not to be underestimated.
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieria was upset with Chelsea denying the club's request to allow loanee Conar Gallagher to play against them on Sunday. Gallagher have 13 goal contributions in all competition this season including two assists in the FA Cup. The star midfielder is the engine room for the side with his box to box capability set to be missed in this crucial clash. The Blues's boss Thomas Tuchel even apologised to the 22 year old for the decision. Palace though are more of a team than an individual which has been proven in this season. They recently carried a strong unbeaten run and are tipped to finish in the top half of the Premier League table. Vieria have done an extraordinary job with a young team adding a speculative run in the FA Cup scoring the second joint-most goals in the competition. Indeed, this group of individuals are more talented than the ones who qualified for final back in 2016. Vieria has downplayed any advantage over Chelsea for their harsh exit midweek but it will only add to their reputation this campaign if they manage to frustrate the Blues again in the derby.
Recent Form (all competitions)
Chelsea: WWLLW
Crystal Palace: LWWDW
FA Cup 2021-22 Semi Final Match Team News :
Thomas Tuchel confirms Romelu Lukaku has returned to training after missing the second leg in Madrid of the Champions League quarterfinals due to a knock. He is in line to be in the squad for Sunday. Callum Hudson Odoi and Ben Chilwell remain absent.
Patrick Vieira said left-back Tyrick Michell and winger Michael Olise are major doubts for the game. Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher will miss out after his parent club denied Palace's request to play him against them.
FA Cup 2021-22 Semi Final Match Expected Lineups :
Chelsea: Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz
Crystal Palace: Vincente uaita; Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Nathan Ferguson, James McArthur, Cheikhou Kouyate, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew, Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Wilfred Zaha
CHL vs CRY Head to Head :
Chelsea have won their last nine games, all in the Premier League, against Crystal Palace since 2018. The Eagles last win over the Blues was a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park five years back. Chelsea also kept two clean sheets in this season's clashes with the latest of them taking until the 89th minute for the winner.
CHL vs CRY FA Cup 2021-22 Semi Final Match Dream11 Team Prediction :
GK: E. Mendy (8.5)
DEF: Azpilicueta (9.5), Guehi (9.5), Rudiger (9), Alonso (9)
MID: Mount (9.5), Kouyate (8.5), Kovacic (8), ), Zaha (10)
FW: Mateta (9), Havertz (9)
