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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

5 Chelsea players confirm their place in FA Cup final starting XI after Wolves draw

Forget about Liverpool's bid for the quadruple! Chelsea can complete a unique treble with victory against the Reds in the FA Cup final next Saturday.

The Blues have already lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup and are keen to end the season in style with a Wembley win. Thomas Tuchel's side will be motivated to beat Liverpool after losing the EFL Cup final to them on penalties in February.

Yet the German - blessed with one of the best squads in Europe - will have been struggling to select his starting XI for the showpiece event. Saturday's 2-2 home draw against Wolves has gone a long way in deciding that. Here, Mirror Football pick five players that will be confident of starting at Wembley following Chelsea's last game before the final.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is on course to start the FA Cup final against Liverpool (Reuters)

The Englishman, who scored in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace last month, produced a solid display at the heart of Chelsea's midfield on Saturday. He's now started six of Chelsea's last seven Premier League fixtures.

Both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho could be fit for the FA Cup final, yet it would be very harsh on Loftus-Cheek if he was dropped. The 26-year-old has done well in their absence and surely done enough to play the biggest game of his career to date.

Mason Mount

Chelsea must start Mason Mount against Liverpool (Reuters)

Who should start for Chelsea in the FA Cup final? Let us know in the comments below!

Mount didn't start against Wolves - but perhaps he should've done. The Blues lacked his attacking presence on Saturday and will need a player of his quality if they're to create any chances against Jurgen Klopp's brilliant Liverpool side at Wembley.

Christian Pulisic played in the No10 position against Wolves but didn't impress. The American has shown a lot of promise during his three years at Stamford Bridge yet needs to prove himself on a consistent basis if he's to become one of Tuchel's leading players.

Marcos Alonso

Marcos Alonso is likely to start the FA Cup final (Getty Images)

Since Ben Chilwell picked up a season-ending knee injury in November, Tuchel has been rotating Malang Sarr and Marcos Alonso at left-back. The latter has played the majority of games and probably done enough to play in the FA Cup final.

Alonso isn't the best defensively but does offer plenty going forward, something Chelsea will need against Liverpool. The Blues had created 66 big chances in the Premier League in 2021-22 heading into this weekend's fixtures - 27 fewer than the Reds.

Edouard Mendy

Edouard Mendy deserved to keep a clean sheet against Wolves (Getty Images)

It's always temping for managers to play their back-up goalkeeper in cup games, yet Tuchel can't afford to take that risk against Liverpool. Mendy put in a good performance against Wolves and should start ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga.

He would've kept a clean sheet if it wasn't for Francisco Trincao's stunning left-footed strike and Conor Coady's last-gasp header. No goalkeeper would've stopped Trincao's hit.

Tuchel does usually pick Mendy for finals. The 30-year-old started the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, Champions League and EFL Cup finals. He was also Chelsea's goalkeeper for their semi-final win against Palace. Expect him to start at Wembley.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku scored a brace against Wolves on Saturday (Getty Images)

There was a lot of pressure on Lukaku on Saturday. He knew he had to put in a good performance against Wolves to have any chance of starting the final against Liverpool, and he didn't disappoint - winning and scoring a penalty in the second half.

The Belgian looked good all afternoon, making the most of any opportunity he got. That was evident just before half-time, as he used his strength to create a half-chance and test Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. His second goal was even better, taking advantage of a Coady mistake to produce a brilliant first-time finish.

Lukaku's record has been poor this season - scoring just seven league goals - yet the service hasn't been good enough. Chelsea haven't played to his strengths, proven by the lack of chances they've created. Whether they'll get the best out of Lukaku next season - or whether he'll even stay at Stamford Bridge - is up for debate.

Timo Werner also had a decent afternoon against Wolves. The German found the back of the net in the 34th minute - only for his strike to be disallowed for a soft foul on Romain Saiss - and forced Sa into a smart save at the beginning of the second half.

That leaves us with Kai Havertz, who was brought on in the last minute. Tuchel may have been resting him ahead of the FA Cup final and, if Lukaku and Werner failed to impress, would've been certain of his spot. Yet he'll be slightly worried after Saturday's events.

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