TEAM NEWS
Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s ongoing back problem kept him out against Malmo, while Marcos Alonso was rested for that game – both could return. FA Cup holders Chelsea will assess the fitness of several unnamed players before Monday’s tie.
Manchester United forwards Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard face at least a fortnight out because of respective groin and hamstring injuries.
Teenagers Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes may feature, along with Marcos Rojo. Full-backs Matteo Darmian and Antonio Valencia remain sidelined.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@Wilsonfooty: Football, they say, is cyclical, so perhaps it should be no surprise that Chelsea and Manchester United meet in a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final.
From Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford – via Wembley and Moscow – this is English football’s most-played fixture of recent times.
Chelsea, of course, won last season’s final and the Blues haven’t been knocked out of a domestic cup competition by Manchester United since 2002.
Back then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still had a big chunk of his playing career ahead of him, and Maurizio Sarri had not long given up banking to concentrate on coaching Sansovino in Italy’s fourth tier.
As the two men shake hands at Stamford Bridge, one could be wondering what will happen to him at the season’s end – and the other pondering whether he will even last that long.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Chelsea assistant head coach Gianfranco Zola: “Nobody is pleased when you lose games the way we did recently. Not only the players, but the coaches and everyone. It’s a moment when we’ve been alternating the results, going from one good performance to a bad one…
“We have to be consistent. We all know this, and it’s important everyone understands the situation and is working on it: coaches, players and club.
“This is important. The unity facing the challenge will make the difference.”
Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: “You have to bounce back at this club. You’ll always have challenges, and away against Chelsea is one of the tougher challenges.
“We know there was a spell against PSG – seven, eight, nine or 10 minutes – where we lost our way a bit. But apart from that, we weren’t too bad defensively.
“We need to keep working on the way we want to play football – the way we approach the games will always be in an attacking, positive mind.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
This is actually a good fixture for Chelsea to bounce back. Whatever their players think of their manager and his tactics, they will not lack any motivation for a home game against Manchester United.
Let’s not forget Chelsea do have some extremely good players, and I do think they can cause United some problems.
Prediction: 2-1
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Chelsea could become the first team to eliminate Manchester United in five consecutive FA Cup meetings.
- They meet in the FA Cup for the fifth time in six years, including replays. Chelsea won 1-0 on the last three occasions, following a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in 2013.
- The Red Devils have won just two of their last 22 away games against Chelsea, failing to win any of their last nine.
- This will be the 64th time in less than 22 years that these two clubs have met, making it the most-played fixture between English sides since the start of the 1997-98 season.
Chelsea
- The defending champions are seeking to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive season. They’ve reached the past two finals.
- Chelsea have progressed from their last 10 FA Cup home games, including a shootout win against Norwich.
- The Blues could keep five clean sheets in a row for the first time in the FA Cup.
- They have lost six of their last 14 league matches, having gone unbeaten in the first 12 this season.
Manchester United
- The Red Devils have eliminated the FA Cup holders on an unrivalled 10 occasions. They last did so in 2011-12 against Manchester City.
- United, vying to equal Arsenal’s record of 13 FA Cup titles, are looking to reach the quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive season. They last achieved that feat in 1966.
- They have scored in their first 18 away games of a season in all competitions for the first time.
- Former Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has scored 13 goals in his last 15 FA Cup appearances.
Source: BBC News
