Chelsea are aiming to punch their ticket to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Friday night when they take on Championship outfit Hull City.
A return to the MKM Stadium is in store for Liam Rosenior, who played and managed Hull, and he will be looking to deliver a fatal blow to his former employers, backed by a star-studded squad of senior internationals.
Rotation is expected for Friday’s fourth round duel as the matches come thick and fast for Chelsea, but Rosenior has an abundance of quality to call upon for the journey north.
Match Snapshot
- 🕒 Kick-off time: 7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. ET, 11:45 a.m. PT
- 📍 Location: MKM Stadium
- 🏆 Competition: FA Cup
- 📊 Recent form: WWLWD (all competitions)
Team News
- ⚠️ Key absentees, doubts: Filip Jörgensen, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Reece James, Jamie Gittens.
- 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1
Marc Cucurella added his name to an extensive injury list during the midweek draw with Leeds United, suffering a hamstring injury that’s ruled him out of the trip to Hull. Fellow defender Levi Colwill is injured, while a late decision will be made on Reece James as he recovers from illness. Tosin Adarabioyo is back in training but might still miss out.
Filip Jörgensen would have started between the sticks but is currently injured, resulting in another start for Robert Sánchez. In midfield, injury-prone duo Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo will miss out, too—although the former is back in group training.
Jamie Gittens continues his recovery from a hamstring injury and his positional peer Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended after failing a drugs test.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Hull (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—With Jörgensen missing and young Teddy Sharman-Lowe unlikely to be thrust into the action, Sánchez will be between the sticks.
RB: Josh Acheampong—Culpable for Leeds’ Tuesday night equaliser, Acheampong could be shunted out to right back to accomodate rotation.
CB: Mamadou Sarr—Rosenior revealed that Sarr has a “great chance” of starting on Friday night in what would be only his second Chelsea appearance. He was a regular under the Blues boss during the first half of the season at Strasbourg.
CB: Benoît Badiashile—Badiashile’s minutes have been limited but with injuries in defence, as well as potential rests for Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana, the Frenchman is likely to start.
LB: Jorrel Hato—Chelsea will hope that Cucurella’s injury is not serious as Hato’s yet to fully convince as his understudy.
DM: Moisés Caicedo—Essugo’s certain absence and Lavia’s probable omission restrict Rosenior’s rotation options in midfield, perhaps resulting in an enforced start for Caicedo.
DM: Andrey Santos—The Brazilian has been trusted regularly since Rosenior’s arrival—another who worked with the Chelsea boss at Strasbourg.
RW: Pedro Neto—Neto was dropped to the bench for the draw with Leeds as Rosenior took full advantage of his wide options, but the Portuguese should be reinstalled as he searches for a first goal since the third round win over Charlton Athletic.
AM: Estêvão—Long-term, Estêvão has been tipped as an attacking midfielder rather than winger and an opportunity to impress in the role could appear at Hull due to Chelsea’s stretched midfield.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho—Having made a bright start at Stamford Bridge, the inconsistent Garnacho has reappeared in recent weeks. He needs to catch Rosenior’s eye in the cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea XI vs. Hull: Mass Rotation for FA Cup Tie—Injury News, Predicted Lineup.
