Chelsea
Paul Merson Makes His Prediction Ahead Of Chelsea’s FA Cup Clash With Everton
Paul Merson has made his prediction ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup clash with Everton this evening and feels the West Londoners are in for a tough night.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson has made his prediction ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup clash with Everton this evening and feels the West Londoners are in for a tough night.
Chelsea head to Goodison Park tonight after booking their place in the last eight of the FA Cup thanks to a 5-1 thrashing of a weakened Manchester City side at Stamford Bridge last month.
However, interim boss Guus Hiddink is going to have to pick his players up following their hugely disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, which has left the FA Cup as the Blues only way to rescue something from a disastrous campaign.
To make matters worse, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard are doubts for the game after being forced off against PSG on Wednesday night and Merson believes Chelsea have got no chance if the duo are ruled out tonight.
Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Merson predicted that Everton will ease in to the semi finals with a 2-1 victory:
This all depends on whether Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are available because Chelsea could be in trouble without them. If they’re not fit, I don’t see the visitors getting a result.
People will say ‘Which Everton will we get, the one that keeps throwing leads away at home or the one that slaughtered Stoke away?’
But if Costa and Hazard don’t play, Chelsea are there to be beaten and I don’t see anything but an Everton win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1
We’ll have to wait and see if Merson’s prediction proves accurate but it would be a disaster for Chelsea if they were to crash out of the FA Cup just four days after slumping out of the Champions League.
The defending Premier League champions are languishing way down in tenth place in the table and ten points adrift of the top four, so they have virtually no chance of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
Therefore, if they exit the FA Cup this evening then the Stamford Bridge club will have nothing left to play for during the remaining two months of the season.
