Thomas Tuchel has a number of selection dilemmas ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-final. The German coach may have the temptation to rotate his squad after the match against Lille on Wednesday, but he may not want to risk the chance to book a place in the final four of the FA Cup.
The Blues managed to make their way into the last eight of the Champions League last time out in France, with a 2-1 win over Lille, though an injury to Andreas Christensen has reduced defensive numbers for the trip to the Riverside. This means Thiago Silva could be involved, with an international break with Brazil on the horizon.
In Boro, Chelsea face stern opposition though, as they have already proven in this competition so far. The Championship outfit, under Chris Wilder, have already managed to beat both Tottenham and Manchester United to make it to this stage and will be aiming for another giant killing tonight.
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The match will be played in front of a packed out home crowd, with only a small section of Chelsea fans able to make the trip to Teesside. It comes after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government, meaning the Blues have to operate under a special sporting licence which does not allow for the sale of further tickets after the sanctions were imposed.
Speaking ahead of the game, Tuchel said: “This is what we expect; an emotional stadium, emotional crowd. We love the competition, I love the FA Cup, so we expect a tough away match against a strong team. And not more than that. But this is what we expect, and it will be a challenge for us."
Considering that the German coach could rotate his side, it seems as though he may opt for a full strength team.
Starting centre-back Silva may have hinted that he could be in the starting line-up if his social media is any indication. The Brazilian defender posted a pre-match hype graphic to his Instagram story, perhaps meaning he could play in the match at the Riverside.
