It was a very busy news day for Chelsea FC as 1. the January transfer window is winding down 2. they have a midweek Premier League clash at AFC Bournemouth and 3. FA Cup fifth round draws came out today.
We have a whole lot of ground to cover, so let’s dive right in.
FA Cup fifth round draw
Bristol City v. Shrewsbury or Wolves
Wimbledon v. Millwall
Doncaster Rovers v. Crystal Palace
Middlesbrough or Newport v. Manchester City
Chelsea v. Manchester United
Swansea City v. Barnet or Brentford
Portsmouth or QPR v. Watford
Brighton or West Brom v. Derby County
No doubt about it- Manchester United at Chelsea, a rematch of last year’s final, is the standout fixture of the next round.
Chelsea FC at AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday, January 30, 7:45 pm local, Vitality Stadium
Injury Report: go to this link
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Odds via Odds Checker: Chelsea 13/19, draw 16/5, Bournemouth 9/2
Prediction: Chelsea 1, Bournemouth 0
Thank you, goodbye and good luck!! #KTBFFH pic.twitter.com/kxAOMrqD5X
— Álvaro Morata (@AlvaroMorata) January 28, 2019
Striker Alvaro Morata has finally completed his move out of Chelsea. He’s back in his native Spain, joining Atletico Madrid on an 18 month loan deal. There may or may not be an option to make the deal permanent, but as of now that hasn’t been disclosed.
“I’m very happy and proud to be here. I can’t wait to start training, meet my new teammates and play,” Morata said.
The 2017 summer arrival, who broke Chelsea’s club transfer fee record when he arrived, had a very difficult and inconsistent spell at Chelsea. He wanted out for awhile, and the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain opened the door for him to finally move on.
-And finally, staying with strikers who don’t get regular playing time, Olivier Giroud has opened up about his future with the club, and he wasn’t very optimistic about it. He sees the arrival of Higuain inevitably leading to his exit from the club, and even listed a couple of potential Ligue 1 landing points.
“If the club decides to get another striker, like Higuaín, it will certainly darken my future at Chelsea,” the Frenchman told Canal+ via Goal
“I’ve never said no to a return to France. Lyon and Marseille are two great clubs. My priority is to stay in the Premier League though.”
? @_OlivierGiroud_ pour le #CFC : "Marseille, Lyon, ce sont deux grands clubs. Je n'ai jamais exclu un retour en France. J'ai dit à l'époque que ma priorité était de rester en Premier League, ça l'est toujours. À voir…" pic.twitter.com/5GE9p4HfVc
— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) January 27, 2019
“I will never make people unanimously satisfied with me. There is a little part of regret and frustration. The public expects a goalscorer to score goals. I’m the fourth best goalscorer of French (national team) football and nobody can take that away from me.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.