Calum McFarlane will return to the dugout as crisis-stricken Chelsea face Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend.
The Chelsea coach is in for his second spell as interim boss this season, stepping up again in the wake of Liam Rosenior’s sacking this week.
Rosenior was relieved of his duties on Wednesday evening after a run of one win in eight matches, though that sole victory came in the previous round of this competition, against Port Vale.
Leeds, meanwhile, are in fine late season form, with recent wins over Manchester United and Wolves cooling their relegation fears considerably.
They have rather laboured in the cup, though, requiring a penalty shootout to progress through two of their four matches en route to this stage.
Daniel Farke’s side has not tasted defeat against Chelsea this season, though, and will hope to go continue that streak under the Wembley arch.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Chelsea vs Leeds is scheduled for a 3pm BST kick-off on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
The match will take place at Wembley Stadium.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Leeds
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 2pm BST ahead of a 3pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the HBO Max app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at Wembley.
Chelsea vs Leeds team news
Chelsea will be without exciting young winger Estevao after he suffered a serious hamstring injury early in last weekend’s loss to Manchester United.
However, there was good news from interim head coach McFarlane on Friday as he confirmed that Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer were back in training after their respective thigh and hamstring issues.
“Joao and Cole have trained,” McFarlane said on Friday.
“They’re in a good place. We don’t know yet. We’ve got another day tomorrow where we’ll look at that and make a decision.
“We hope [they could both start]. They’ll train tomorrow and we’ll make a call.”
Reece James and Levi Colwill remain sidelined, though the latter is closing in on a return to first-team action after appearing in recent Under-21 matches.
Jamie Gittens and Filip Jorgensen are in danger of missing the rest of the season with injuries of their own.
Anton Stach is the only injury absentee for Leeds, with the German’s World Cup involvement in doubt as he recovers from an ankle issue.
Ao Tanaka is back in the fold after appearing to pick up a knock against Manchester United two weeks ago.
Chelsea vs Leeds prediction
The alarm bells are ringing at all levels of Chelsea, and this dismal run seems set to continue.
Rosenior has been relieved of his duties, but the odds of that decision livening up the team’s performances seem slim.
The Blues were dreadful against Brighton, and McFarlane has his work cut out for him to get them back on song before heading to Wembley. We expect the Blues to fall to a fourth straight defeat, though they may nick a rare goal.
Leeds to win, 2-1.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Chelsea are yet to beat Leeds in two meetings this season, with Daniel Farke’s side winning 3-1 at Elland Road and snatching a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
This will be their first FA Cup meeting since the fifth round in 2023/24, when the Blues progressed after a 3-2 win, sealed by Conor Gallagher’s 90th minute winner.
Chelsea wins: 37
Leeds wins: 39
Draws: 29
Chelsea vs Leeds match odds
Chelsea to progress: 8/15
Leeds to progress: 29/20
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
