The 2021/22 FA Cup semi-final draw was made last weekend, with Chelsea having been drawn alongside Crystal Palace in an all-London derby, while Manchester City and Liverpool get to renew their ongoing rivalry in the second tie.
Both ties will be played at Wembley in mid-April, and despite Man City and Liverpool hogging the limelight and betting predictions on newbettingsites.com.au and other bookmakers, there’s a case to be made for Chelsea. They are certainly the smart bet given the betting prediction odds in play.
Here are our previews and predictions:
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
On paper, it appears a straightforward outcome. Chelsea will start as overwhelming favourites against their London counterparts, having won their previous nine meetings against them. They have scored three or more goals in five of those meetings.
However, Palace will look to defy the odds. They have picked up some superb results against the big teams in the league, particularly against Manchester City. They beat them 2-0 on the road in October before a goalless draw at Selhurst Park this month.
Patrick Vieira will be hoping that his team can showcase a similar defensive resolve against their London rivals. Palace almost managed to secure a goalless draw back in February before Hakim Ziyech’s late 89th-minute winner.
We still fancy the Blues to prevail with their big-game experience. Conor Gallagher has been Palace’s most creative player and will be a big miss. Being on loan from Chelsea, he is ineligible to face them. Chelsea will be aiming to go all the way, having lost in the FA Cup final in the last two seasons.
Chelsea 2-0 Crystal Palace
Manchester City vs Liverpool
Manchester City and Liverpool haven’t come up against each other since the thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield back in October. However, they will meet twice next month, either side of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final ties.
City are currently just one point ahead of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. It could be a defining period for both teams. While the Cityzens are being talked up for a treble, the Reds still have the chance to create English history by winning an unprecedented quadruple.
There is not much to choose between the teams at the moment, but the Reds could have the slight edge over the Cityzens, who have stumbled at the current phase of the competition to Chelsea and Arsenal in recent years. Pep Guardiola has a tricky team selection on his hands.
The Spaniard has once again stuck by Zack Steffen in goal for the FA Cup games. The USA international’s poor positioning contributed to Chelsea’s 1-0 win at the same stage last term. Guardiola may still back him. The upcoming semi-final could be decided by fine margins.
Manchester City 1-2 Liverpool