Chelsea have suffered through such an injury-riddled season that just discussing the newly injured/absent provides plenty enough material. All year long, we’ve had enough content to fill an entire match preview/team news with only the newly injured, let alone the long-term absentees. So it goes with Enzo Fernandez, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi and more.
FA Cup Semifinal FYIs
Kick: Sat. Apr. 20, 5:15 pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Manchester City
Fun Fact: This is Chelsea’s 27th appearance in the FA Cup semifinals, the third most of any club.
Blues Team News
Let’s start with Axel Disasi and Enzo, who both have undisclosed knocks of some sort. The mega-money midfielder and the defensive stalwart are basically 50/50 for Saturday.
“We’ll see,” manager Mauricio Pochettino said of the two summer signings.
“They are under assessment. We don’t believe they are big issues, but we will see if they can be available. At the moment, they have not trained after Sheffield, and that is why we don’t know.”
Sterling and Robert Sanchez are also doubts, due to an unspecified virus. Elsewhere Levi Colwill, Reece James and Christopher Nkunku may return at some point this season.
The emphasis is definitely on the word “may” or should we say “May.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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 currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.