FA Cup – Chelsea vs Tottenham: Team News, Likely Line-ups & Predicted Score

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Tottenham face off at Wembley on Sunday, with a place in the FA Cup final at stake.

The two London clubs are currently battling it out for a top-four place but will put aside their league rivalry in search of silverware.

The Blues have an excellent recent record in the FA Cup, having won the trophy on three of the last five seasons, whereas Tottenham haven’t won the cup for 21 years.

The game should be a tight affair with both previous encounters this season ending in draws, but Chelsea are the side in form having not tasted defeat in four games, while Spurs are on a poor run that has seen them pick up just one win in eight.  However, form tends to go out the window in cup games and even more so when its a derby.

Team News

Chelsea will be without the services of defender Branislav Ivanovic, who starts a three-match suspension for violent conduct after being found guilty of striking Wigan’s Shaun Maloney in an off the ball incident last week.

There is better news for Roberto Di Matteo with Ashley Cole declared fit to start after overcoming an ankle problem. The big decision for the Blues boss will be who to start up front with both Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres pushing for a place in the starting eleven.

Harry Redknapp is facing a mini-crisis at the back with Younes Kaboul, Ledley King and Michael Dawson all ruled out. The good news is that Willian Gallas has shaken off a knock and will partner Ryan Nelsen in the heart of defence.

Scott Parker is also available after recovering from a hamstring problem.

Likely Line-ups

Predicted Score

This is a very difficult game to predict. Chelsea are arguably the form team, although their performances have hardly been convincing. Tottenham on the other hand haven’t been getting the results and look like they’ve lost their bottle at the wrong time of the season. This is will come down to who performs better on the day, and we’re going for Chelsea just to edge it. Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham.

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