Overview
Since the 4-2 victory in extra time against Wrexham in the 5th round of the FA Cup, Chelsea has lost all 4 recent matches in the Premier League and Champions League, only scoring 2 goals but conceding 12 times.
The London team disappointed when they were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 with a total score of 2-8. In the Premier League, they also lost to Newcastle United (0-1) and Everton (0-3) respectively, thereby increasing pressure on coach Liam Rosenior.
The opportunity to win a ticket to the Champions League next season is becoming slim when Chelsea is 6 points behind Aston Villa. Therefore, the FA Cup becomes the most important goal - the tournament they last won under Antonio Conte in 2018.
Chelsea are aiming for their seventh FA Cup semi-final in a decade and have a basis for confidence as they have won all 6 recent quarter-final matches since the defeat to Everton in 2016. They also maintain an impressive record against lower-tier teams, winning 37 consecutive cup matches (including 25 FA Cup matches) since the shock of losing to Bradford City in 2015.
In the opposite direction, Port Vale entered the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years as the lowest-ranked team remaining. About 6,000 fans will follow the team to Stamford Bridge.
Despite struggling in League One and being 14 points behind the safe group, Port Vale's FA Cup journey is full of surprises. They won 5 consecutive matches from the first to the 5th round, including a shocking 1-0 victory over Sunderland.
Under the guidance of coach Jon Brady, who replaced Darren Moore from December, Port Vale is looking to regain their spirit after the 0-4 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.
This is also the first time Port Vale has met Chelsea again after nearly a century since the 1-0 victory in 1929. If they repeat this feat, they will reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1954, and also become the first third-place team since Wigan Athletic season 2017-2018 to eliminate two top teams in the same season.
Personnel situation
Chelsea will be without Reece James and Jamie Gittens (both thigh injuries), Levi Colwill (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (ankle), Filip Jorgensen (arm) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended for doping). However, Benoit Badiashile is expected to return after missing the defeat to Everton due to illness.
Coach Liam Rosenior is likely to rotate the squad, as Liam Delap and Marc Guiu compete for a starting spot to replace Joao Pedro.
If Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez are not starting, Estevao Willian can take on the number 10 role. In midfield, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos and Dario Essugo will compete for the defensive midfielder position.
On Port Vale's side, Ben Heneghan, George Byers and Jayden Stockley are absent due to injury, while Ryan Croasdale will be checked for fitness before the match.
Onel Hernandez - who made 26 appearances for Norwich City in the 2019-2020 Premier League - is trying to make his first start for Port Vale since joining in February.
Ben Waine, who scored the decisive goal against Sunderland and has 3 goals in the FA Cup this season, is likely to lead the attack, with support from Dajaune Brown or Ethon Archer.
Expected lineup:
Sanchez, Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Hato, Lavia, Essugo, Neto, Estevao, Garnacho, Delap.
Port Vale: Gauci, Lawrence-Gabriel, C. Hall, Humphreys, John, Gordon, Ojo, Walters, Waine, Brown, Archer.
The match between Chelsea and Port Vale takes place at 11:15 PM on April 4 (Vietnam time).
