Chelsea v Port Vale: FA Cup quarter-final – live | FA Cup
Key occasions
1 min: Chelsea go for an early assault as Neto performs the ball out to Neto, who wins a nook.
Kickoff
We’re below the best way at Stamford Bridge!
The groups are out! Kick-off is just some moments away.
Jeremy Boyce says:
“Looking forward to some “Cup Magic” (TM) as plucky underdogs Ch£ls£a take on the in-form Burslem boys. Given the state of unity on and off the pitch down in SW? Vale are in with a shout here. It only takes a second to score a goal. A team is always most vulnerable just after scoring a goal. The woodwork is all part of the goalkeeper’s armor. On the day it’s 11 v 11 (plus subs). The Magic of the Cup is a living cliché.
“The Port Vale manager, Jon Brady, left Australia as a 17-year-old to chase his dream of playing in the United Kingdom. Spells at Brentford, Swansea and Wycombe did not make a first-team debut in reality. The sacrifice would not be wasted as determination to make a career in England grew stronger, becoming a non-league stalwart, but always with an eye on what came next.
“Like Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final opponent, Chelsea’s head coach Liam Rosenior, Brady plotted a route to the dugout from early on, earning his B license at the age of 23. Twenty-eight years later, he has managed more than 500 league games, in charge of Brackley and Northampton before joining League One’s bottom club in January, and embarking on a surprising Cup run…”
Jeff Sax has messaged in to say:
“The failure of the Chelsea ‘model’ reflects the total lack of understanding of football that the new ownership possesses. This was highlighted by signing Rosenior to a 6-year contract.”
Port Vale last reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup 72 years ago. They faced Leyton Orient in the 1953-54 quarter-finals and clinched a 1-0 win to reach the semis.
Could that be a good omen for today?
Jacob Steinberg
“Trust the process. Ignore the haters. Promise that the trophies will come. Stay on brand. Disappear on international duty and issue a brazen come-and-get-me plea to Real Madrid. Suggest a move to Barcelona would be difficult to reject. Don’t silence the noise. Increase the noise. Question the club’s transfer policy. Say you miss the previous manager. Say Madrid is your favorite European city. Say it more than once. Hang on. Have we gone off-message here?”
Enzo Fernández was not the only Chelsea player to stir the pot during the international break. During a recent interview, full-back Marc Cucurella criticized the club’s decision to sack Enzo Maresca.
He told The Athletic: “We knew what Maresca needed from us. Winning a title just like the Club World Cup additionally helps, strengthens the bond, and also you create nice relationships through the celebrations. When a supervisor offers you that confidence and presents you a platform to struggle for titles, you’d die for him.
“The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These decisions are taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season. The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell.”
Despite his feedback, head coach Liam Rosenior determined towards suspending Cucurella for any upcoming video games. The Spaniard begins on the bench this night.
Chelsea have misplaced each match since their FA Cup fifth-round victory over Wrexham. They misplaced 8-2 on mixture throughout two video games within the Champions League round-of-16 between Premier League defeats to Newcastle and Everton.
The FA Cup is now their solely likelihood at silverware this season, in order that they want a giant efficiency at present.
You can learn extra about Enzo Fernández and his suspension right here:
Chelsea might be with out Enzo Fernández at present resulting from a suspension. He just isn’t suspended below FA guidelines, however resulting from his conduct. Blues head coach Liam Rosenior introduced yesterday that Fernández is not going to be out there at present or subsequent week as a result of he has “crossed a line” with current feedback about his future.
The midfielder first questioned whether or not he would stay at Stamford Bridge past this season earlier than suggesting he wish to live in Madrid.
In response, Rosenior mentioned: “For Enzo, it’s disappointing to speak in that way. What I will say about Enzo is in terms of him as a character, as a person, I’ve got no bad words to say about him. But I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction and that was a decision we’ve made. The door is not closed on Enzo. That’s very important. It’s a sanction. You have to protect that culture. I think in terms of that, the line was crossed in the international break.”
Team news
Chelsea starting line-up: Robert Sanchez; Bad Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Jorrel Hato; Roméo Lavia, Andrey Santos; Estêvão, Cole Palmer (C), Pedro Neto, João Pedro.
Substitutes: Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Josh Acheampong, Mamadou Sarr, Marc Cucurella, Dário Essugo, Moisés Caicedo, Alejandro Garnacho, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Liam Delap.
Port Vale starting line-up: Joe Gauci, Connor Hall, Jordan Gabriel, Cameron Humphreys, Kyle John, Liam Gordon; Ben Garrity (C), Rhys Walters, Funso Ojo; Ben Waine, Martin Sheriff.
Substitutes: Ben Amos, Jayden Stockley, Ethon Archer, Ryan Croasdale, Jordan Shipley, Eli Campbell, George Hall, Tyler Magloire, Andre Gray.
Right, time for some team news…
Manchester City sailed through to the semi-finals with a huge 4-0 win over Liverpool earlier today. Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to send his team through, with Antoine Semenyo getting on the scoresheet as well. Goalkeeper James Trafford also played a huge part by saving a penalty from Mohamed Salah in the second half.
Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final clash between Chelsea and Port Vale. Wembley Stadium is within touching distance for both clubs this afternoon, with just 90 minutes (or 120 depending on how this plays out) between them and a day at the home of English football.
Premier League giants Chelsea are the overwhelming favorites for this one, with Port Vale struggling at the bottom of League One. However, the third-tier side stunned Sunderland to get here, so you can’t write them off.
Given Chelsea’s recent run of results, Port Vale will be hopeful of a huge upset at Stamford Bridge.
Kick-off for this one is at 5:15pm BST – join me!
