Chelsea Football Club looked really impressive last night, as they routed Middlesbrough 6-1 in the League Cup last night. Winning that semifinal tie and thus advancing to the cup final (where they will meet the Liverpool-Fulham winner) will no doubt give the side confidence as they prepare to host Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
Tuesday was a huge morale boost for a club that has disappointed all season long, but manager Mauricio Pochettino maintains that Chelsea is “really building something” and that “very good things are coming.”
FA Cup Fourth Round FYIs
Chelsea FC vs Aston Villa
Kick: Fri. Jan. 26, 7:45pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Book on the Premier League authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Fun Fact: If Aston Villa win, it would mark the first time since 1959-1960 that they have won at Chelsea three consecutive times
Facing this surprisingly strong Villa side will prove to be the toughest test, from a knockout competition that Chelsea will face this season.
“I am desperate to win a title here,” Pochettino said in his post-match press conference.
“There is your headline! We won three trophies in Paris in 18 months and we want to win here. I am desperate to win of course.
“Fulham or Liverpool are two amazing teams, so it will be difficult, but now is the moment to believe we can win. It’s an important step for us.”
Pochettino has managed a London big six club before, leading Tottenham Hotspur for five-and-a-half years. But the closest he ever came to winning a trophy there was the 2015 Carabao Cup final and 2019 Champions League final, which both resulted in Ls.
In looking at the lineup for Friday, we’re thinking Enzo Fernandez gets a bit of a rest here, just like his midfield mate Moises Caicedo, who came off early last night. The rest kind of picks itself.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Aston Villa (FA Cup 4th Round)
Djorde Petrovic; Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell; Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher; Carney Chukwuemeka, Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer; Armando Broja
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.