Na serious wahala dey for Chelsea camp as dem dey prepare to face Port Vale for FA Cup quarter-final dis Saturday. The Blues dey come from four straight losses wey include one big disgrace for Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. Manager Liam Rosenior dey try manage plenty wahala wey include player comments wey no good and injury palaver.
Enzo Fernandez no go play for dis match. The midfielder don collect sanction from Rosenior after im talk say e fit join Real Madrid for future. Rosenior talk say Enzo no go available for Port Vale game and even for Manchester City match wey dey come. “We don make decision,” Rosenior yarn. “For Enzo, e dey disappointing to talk dat kain talk. But line don cross for our culture.”
Marc Cucurella sef talk say e no for sack Enzo Maresca, but Rosenior say Cucurella go play for dis match. The manager don talk to am but no sanction like Enzo own.
For injury side, Chelsea still dey miss plenty key defenders. Captain Reece James dey recover from hamstring wahala, but e no ready yet. Trevoh Chalobah dey progress well from ankle injury but e no go return until May. Levi Colwill dey train but e still need more weeks before e fit play. Filip Jörgensen dey manage small injury for goalkeeper position.
But some good news dey. Jamie Gittens dey close to full recovery from hamstring injury. Estêvão don return to action and fit play as No. 10 for dis match. Dário Essugo and Roméo Lavia fit pair for midfield since Enzo no dey and Moisés Caicedo need rest after international break.
Port Vale wey dey come na League One team wey dey bottom of table. Dem get 14 points wey dem dey miss from safety zone. But dem don already shock Sunderland for fifth round to reach quarter-final. Dis na their first FA Cup quarter-final for 72 years.
Chelsea and Port Vale last meet for 1929, when Port Vale win 1-0. All 14 meetings before na for second tier between 1905 and 1929. Chelsea win seven, draw four, lose three.
For Chelsea current form, dem don lose four matches straight – to Paris Saint-Germain for Champions League, then to Newcastle United and Everton for Premier League. Dem only score two goals and concede 12 for those matches. Dis don make their Champions League qualification dey doubt as dem dey sixth for table, six points behind Aston Villa.
FA Cup remain Chelsea only chance for trophy dis season. Dem last win am for 2018. Chelsea record against lower-league teams dey strong – 37 cup tie wins since dem lose to Bradford City for 2015/16 season. Dem progress from 64 of 66 FA Cup ties against lower league opposition.
Rosenior talk say: “We get fresh group. Estevao, Jamie Gittens dey back, wey dey positive as we dey enter dis run.” The manager dey under pressure to turn things around after bad results and player wahala.
For predicted lineup, Robert Sánchez fit keep goal since Jörgensen dey injured. Josh Acheampong fit play right back instead of Malo Gusto. Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile fit be center backs. Marc Cucurella fit play left back.
Midfield fit be Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo. Pedro Neto fit play right wing, Estêvão as attacking midfielder, Alejandro Garnacho for left wing, and Liam Delap as striker.
Port Vale dey miss Ben Heneghan, George Byers and Jayden Stockley through injury. Dem fit line up with Gauci for goal, Lawrence-Gabriel, C. Hall, Humphreys and John for defense, Gordon and Ojo for midfield, Walters, Waine and Brown for attack, with Archer as striker.
The gap between Chelsea (Premier League) and Port Vale (League One) na 62 league places. Na third largest gap for dis stage of FA Cup since century begin. Only Brighton vs Grimsby Town (76 places) and Arsenal vs Lincoln City (88 places) get bigger gap before.
Chelsea dey try reach FA Cup semi-final without facing top-flight opponent for fourth time. If dem succeed, dem go join Tottenham as teams wey don do am most times.
João Pedro don score seven goals for im last seven FA Cup games. Six of those goals don come since 2023-24 season begin – no player score more for competition during dat period.
Dis match dey important for Chelsea to stop losing streak and keep trophy hope alive. For Port Vale, dem dey see am as free chance to shock big team while dem dey fight relegation for League One.
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