Chelsea face Leeds United at Wembley Stadium in the second semifinal of the FA Cup on Sunday, after another week of upheaval that saw Liam Rosenior sacked following a run of five Premier League defeats without scoring a single goal.
Chelsea have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions. They've scored in only two games in that timespan -- a 5-2 first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, and a 7-0 win against League One side Port Vale in the FA Cup quarterfinal. However, this is now an opportunity for Chelsea to put these troubles aside and potentially get to a major final.
It won't be an easy game for Chelsea, Leeds have shown that they are a difficult side to beat all season. In fact, Chelsea have taken just one point off Leeds in the two Premier League games between the sides this season, losing at Elland Road, before letting a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
With Premier League safety all but secure now for Daniel Farke's team, it's now a golden opportunity for them to make their first FA Cup final since 1973, against a Chelsea team that, at the moment, are struggling to see where their next goal is coming from.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's game:
How to watch:
The match will be shown on TNT Sports 1, and HBO Max in the UK, ESPN Select in the U.S., SonyLIV in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Sunday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. BST (10:00 a.m. ET; 7:30 p.m. IST and 12:00 a.m. AEST).
Venue: Wembley, London
Referee: Jarred Gillet
VAR: Paul Howard
Injury and Team News:
Chelsea
Cole Palmer, M: hamstring, DOUBT
João Pedro, F: thigh, DOUBT
Reece James, D: hamstring, OUT
Estêvão, F: hamstring, OUT
Jamie Gittens, F: hamstring, OUT
Levi Colwill, D: knee, OUT
Filip Jorgensen, G: groin, OUT
Leeds United
Anton Stach, M: ankle, OUT
Ilia Gruev, M: knee, OUT
Jayden Bogle, D: ankle, DOUBT
Sebastiaan Bornauw, D: DOUBT
Talking Points:
Calum McFarlane's big day
This isn't the first time that Calum McFarlane will take charge of Chelsea's first team this season. He was in charge of two games during the transition period between Enzo Maresca and Rosenior. In those games, Chelsea fought their way through a tough game at the Etihad to come out of it with a 1-1 draw after a late equaliser, and then lost 2-1 to Fulham following an early red card to Marc Cucurella.
A trip to the Etihad and an away West London derby are both big games for Chelsea, but the occasion of a trip to Wembley in a cup semifinal is a massive occasion for any club, and in this case, a young manager. This could be seen as a free hit for McFarlane, given what's unfolded in the last month under Rosenior, but Chelsea are a club that always expect success, even amidst chaos, and it will be no different for McFarlane as well.
Daniel Farke's legacy game
In his spell at Leeds so far, Farke has brought them back into the Premier League, and is now nearly there in terms of securing Premier League status for another season. Now, this FA Cup semifinal provides an opportunity for Farke to write his name into Leeds folklore.
It's been a fantastic revival led by Farke, given where Leeds were in December, with relegation staring them in the face. Since his move to a back three during a loss at the Etihad Stadium to Manchester City, Leeds have developed a steel that has made them seriously difficult to beat. They also have a serious sense of spirit and fight, exemplified by Sean Longstaff's equaliser in the last minute of stoppage time in their most recent Premier League match away at Bournemouth.
Given all the uncertainty and problems that Chelsea are facing, this semifinal is a massive opportunity for Leeds, and one they will feel they are capable of taking.
Where are Chelsea's goals coming from?
Chelsea have scored in only two of their last eight matches.
After five Premier League games without a goal, heading into a semifinal potentially without three of their best attackers, in Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Estêvão, it is a huge blow for them.
Pedro Neto has been stuck in a rut and isn't really impacting games. Liam Delap has worked hard but with little quality. Alejandro Garnacho has struggled to make his mark on games. Unless one or both of Pedro and Palmer recover in time for this game, it's hard not to envision another scenario where Chelsea have a tough time in front of goal.
Chelsea's test of basics
In Rosenior's interaction with the host broadcaster after the 3-0 loss to Brighton on Tuesday night, he stressed on the lack of basics from Chelsea's players.
However, that's where Chelsea are at, particularly defensively. Their defending for all three Brighton goals was haphazard, and bordered on comical. They struggled to keep possession for long enough, and when they did, they couldn't make anything of it.
McFarlane has a massive task on his hands, with a group of players devoid of confidence and a team that has no form behind it.
What do the numbers say?
Chelsea have won all their previous six FA Cup ties against Leeds United
In their last 11 FA Cup semifinals, Chelsea have won nine. Both their losses in that time came against Manchester City.
It has been 39 seasons since Leeds last made the FA Cup semifinal, the longest such gap in the competition's history, equal with Leicester City whose gap between semifinals came between 1982 and 2021.
For a team struggling so hard for goals, this is a strange one, but... no team has scored more than Chelsea's 20 goals in this season's FA Cup.
