Three changes to the Chelsea side don happen as Calum McFarlane, wey be interim head coach, lead the Blues against Leeds United for Wembley for FA Cup final spot.
Di Blues dey try reach di showpiece game for di 17th time, a feat wey only Manchester United and Arsenal don achieve before. Leeds, on di other hand, dey hope to make dia fifth FA Cup final appearance.
McFarlane, wey dem name interim head coach on Wednesday, don make three alterations to di side wey start di midweek Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Robert Sanchez continue as goalkeeper for Chelsea, wey go get back four of Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Cucurella protecting am.
Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia start again for midfield, while Alejandro Garnacho come into di attack alongside Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto.
Joao Pedro, wey miss di last two matches, don return and go lead di Chelsea frontline, with Liam Delap dropping to di substitutes’ bench. Cole Palmer don return among di substitutes, after missing di Brighton game.
Di semifinal don come! Welcome Calum McFarlane’s Blue and White Army to di FA Cup semifinal. Your task na to dispatch one of di weaker teams for di Premier League and reach di final against Manchester City.
Recently, dis team don choose not to accept di challenge. But today we go see if dem fit change dat.
João Pedro don pass fit and start. Cole Palmer only dey di bench. Tosin get di call for defense. Here we go!
Adam Pope, wey don cover Leeds United for BBC radio for more than 20 years, don yarn wit Whites fans to find out wetin being back for FA Cup semi-finals mean.
Almost 40 years without a semi-final appearance for di most prestigious domestic cup na footballing barren land. More so when di club wey don walk across am for nigh on four decades bin responsible for an iconic moment for di cup’s 1972 centenary edition.
Since Billy Bremner lift di FA Cup, headlines around Leeds’ association wit di competition don largely be corrosive for di club’s reputation. Di tone bin set for di 1973 final, when second division Sunderland shock Don Revie‘s side beneath Wembley’s Twin Towers.
Dere don be positive times – di run to di 1987 semi-finals and, memorably, Simon Grayson‘s third-tier outfit beating Manchester United for dia own backyard for 2010. Otherwise e don be capitulation at Crawley, humiliation at Histon, submission at Sutton, harrowing against Hereford, no-show at Newport and wretched at Rochdale.
Dere be oda ones too, and dat na why being back at Wembley for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea matter. E be massive, according to long-standing supporter Gareth, from Morley. ‘I’m old-school. Never see us for di final and only one semi-final. Di FA Cup, for me, na di best club competition for di world. I fit remember di ’70s and ’80s finals – di build-up on both channels. For di team hotel. Di interviews. E bin brilliant.’
Di cup no be Leeds’ only concern as di season reach conclusion, as dem continue dia fight to retain dia Premier League status. ‘Forget survival versus cup final,’ Gareth tok. ‘Just do both. We need to get to remembering dat football na about winning. Not taking part or surviving. Winning!’
Fellow fan Tony, wey like Gareth be for im 50s, get slightly different take. ‘E be weird one,’ e tok. ‘I always wan win, but Premier League survival na all I tink about.’ Wit 40 points on di board, Leeds fit already safe. After facing Chelsea dem go welcome relegated Burnley to Elland Road on Friday. ‘Sunday na free hit,’ Tony tok. ‘I’d take beating Burnley over beating Chelsea.’
Pragmatism for some, but pomp for oda. Steve, from Kirkheaton, dey travel first class on di train to di semi-final – and plan to take im 90-year-old mum to di final if dem make am. ‘E go be great day out and we get chance,’ e tok. ‘Chelsea bin shocking against Brighton.’
Elsewhere, Kate and her broda Will dey make am family affair wit dad John. ‘Getting to go to Wembley and see us play for a semi-final na just crazy,’ Will, from Huddersfield, tok. ‘E be our first time going as full family,’ Kate add. ‘Unlike my dad, e be di first time my generation don get chance to do am. E really exciting. Dere be real buzz about di club. I feel dere definitely be opportunity for us dere.’
John agree Leeds get ‘really good chance’, but memories cast long shadow wey e hope dis trip fit banish. ‘I fit remember di debacle of di 1970 FA Cup final, when Chelsea take us to a replay and we get all dat scrapping on di field, so to get one back on dem go just be fantastic. E mark di return of di club to our former glory. E brilliant for me as old fella to see us back up challenging for silverware again.’
Some fans go dey head to London to both create and watch sporting memories. Adam, from Leeds, go see im son Josh run di London Marathon before heading to Wembley. ‘I wan win am now, for sure,’ e tok. ‘We probably safe for di league so e go be mad not to.’
Jack, from Rastrick, don fly in from di Middle East, where e be member of di Dubai Whites. E dey do di London Marathon and Wembley double and go meet up wit im dad Paul, wey inspire am to pound di streets to raise money for di British Heart Foundation. ‘I bin dey pray [di cup semi-final] go be on Saturday so I no go crawl dere,’ e tok. ‘But how often you get di chance to do two tins like dis? I just get to do am.’
Den dere be Molly, wey follow di Whites home and away wit her dad. ‘Hopefully dis na just rehearsal before di final,’ she tok. ‘From Yeovil to cup semi-finals, dat na why you do am.’ And wetin e mean to be dere wit her dad? ‘So much,’ she tok. ‘I fit cry. I sure I go be. Wembley Way wit am.’
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