Manchester City vs Chelsea (FA Cup Semi-Final): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How to Watch

Reigning FA Cup holders Manchester City continue the defence of their domestic honour as they take on Chelsea in the semi-final of the England’s traditional cup competition.

The treble winners must put aside their heartbreak of a penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Madrid as they reignite their desire for success this season, as Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea stand in their way next.

Pochettino is a familiar foe of Pep Guardiola’s, with the pair creating quite the rivalry over the years in both Spain and England, as the two face off once more in the capital at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening.

Despite the upsetting result during the week, the hunger remains apparent within the squad. Jack Grealish said that the double would be “perfect” ahead of Saturday’s match, and that winning both the FA Cup and Premier league would be a “hugely successful season.”

Unsurprisingly, most of the pre-match talk has been centred around former Manchester City starlet Cole Palmer and his ongoing season at Chelsea, but Guardiola has been quick to defend his decision to sell the now-England international forward in the build-up.

The City boss stated that Palmer “wanted to leave” for the second successive summer despite the Spaniard’s best efforts to encourage the youngster to stay. Sitting on 20 Premier League goals this season, it appears the move benefitted all parties involved.

As Cole Palmer returns to face his former club for a third time this season, here is everything you need to know regarding Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea!

Fixture Details

Manchester City take on Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 20^th April, with kick-off scheduled for 17:15 (UK).

Team News

Kevin De Bruyne is “okay” to play after asking to be substituted against Real Madrid, however Pep Guardiola has said “we’ll see” about the fitness of Erling Haaland, with both players picking up injury concerns in midweek

Manuel Akanji is also fit and available to feature for Manchester City this weekend, with Pep Guardiola pointing towards fatigue when asked for an explanation around his withdrawal from the clash with Madrid.

As for Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez is part of the squad for the match after recovering from an injury, while Christopher Nkunku has returned to light training, though is unavailable for this one.

Former Manchester City midfielder Romeo Lavia joins Levi Colwill, Reece James and Wesley Fofana in the unavailable list due to long term injuries.

Head to Head

Both of the previous meetings between these two sides have ended in a draw.

The last time the two clubs faced off in this competition was last season, resulting in a comprehensive 4-0 victory for the blues.

Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola have faced off 24 times as coaches, with the Chelsea manager winning just four, with seven draws and 13 wins in favour of Pep Guardiola.

Statistics

• Manchester City have kept a clean sheet in six of the last eight meetings between the club, with the previous two encounters being the only time Chelsea have found the net.

• The aggregate scoreline across the last 10 fixtures between the two clubs is 16-8 in favour of Manchester City.

• Lionel Messi scored his first PSG goal the last time Mauricio Pochettino beat Pep Guardiola, in a 2-0 defeat for City at the Parc Des Princes in the Champions League in October 2021.

How to Watch

For viewers in the United Kingdom, Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on BBC One, with kick off scheduled for 17:15 GMT.

City Xtra will also be live covering every moment of the game on YouTube with our live production available from 16:15 (UK)!