Chelsea will eye a berth in the fifth round of the FA Cup when they play hosts to Plymouth Argyle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the fourth round matchup between the two sides.
Thomas Tuchel’s men return to the on-field action following a lengthy break with the last outing coming against city rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a convincing win for the Blues.
Hakim Ziyech’s strike and Thiago Silva with a header proved to be the all-important events for Chelsea who claimed a 2-0 result against Antonio Conte’s Spurs in the London derby.
With title hopes all but over at Stamford Bridge this season as Manchester City in line to defend their top flight crown, Tuchel will hope for his players to deliver in the FA Cup against a much weaker opponent on paper.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Up for the #EmiratesFACup! ✊ pic.twitter.com/bg2QfBMu2I
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 5, 2022
Date – 5 February
Time – 4:30 PM GMT
Venue – Stamford Bridge
TEAM NEWS
Reece James and Ruben Loftus-Cheek remain concerns on the injury front for the home side but there is talk of the England international duo closing in on returns to the first-team fold soon.
Central defender Trevoh Chalobah was deemed fit enough to start on the bench last time around against Spurs and the 22-year-old could be in line to make the starting team sheet on Saturday.
Chelsea’s first-choice option between the goalposts in Edouard Mendy remains away at the AFCON meaning Tuchel will have to choose between Marcus Bettinelli and Kepa for the starting berth with the former likely to get the nod.
PREDICTION
It should prove to be a routine win for Chelsea with Thomas Tuchel’s west Londoners looking to advance to the next round of the competition.
Chelsea 3-0 Plymouth Argyle
