Chelsea will be looking to avoid A major upset on Saturday, as they host League One Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round.
Chelsea breezed through to the fourth round of the FA Cup when they saw off non-league Chesterfield in their third round tie, winning 5-1 with a mix of youth and experience in the squad.
The same blend could be expected again in the fourth round, with a trip to the United Arab Emirates on the horizon for the Blues for the FIFA Club World Cup, after their UEFA Champions League victory last season.
Saturday will be just under two weeks since Chelsea's last outing, where Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva scored to hand the Blues a 2-0 win over London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
Edouard Mendy is a guaranteed absence after Senegal reached the final of AFCON, whilst Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic are both doubts, with the due set to return to west London late from international duty with their respective countries.
Youngsters such as Lewis Hall and Harvey Vale both played in the previous round of the FA Cup, and the duo along with a few other academy talents could feature on Saturday.
So, what line-up will Tuchel's sides select? And, what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Chelsea vs Plymouth in the FA Cup and this is what happened...
Chelsea vs Plymouth score predicted by FIFA 22 simulation
We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, but didn't select a team to control, we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a score prediction.
We predict that Chelsea could set up in a 3-4-3/5-2-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Bettinelli; Chalobah, Christensen, Sarr; Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Lukaku, Mount.
We predict that the Pilgrims could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Cooper; Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey; Edwards, Camara, Houghton, Broom, Grant; Jephcott, Hardie.
A resilient Plymouth defence managed to hold off the Chelsea attack in the first half, with the visitors actually having the best chance of the half, hitting the post from close range just three minutes in.
Chelsea did take the lead early in the second half though, with Mason Mount finding the opener.
It was an incredible solo run from the midfielder, cutting in from the right, weaved through a sea of bodies and drilled past the 'keeper at his near post.
Plymouth pushed forward late on as they looked to find an equaliser, and they did with two minutes remaining when a loose corner was tapped home by Kieran Agard.
A loose ball from a corner fell in the box at the feet of substitute Agard, and the striker hit a first-time effort past Bettinelli at his near post.
Chelsea surged forward late on as they searched for a late winner, and after a mistake from the Plymouth defence, they found it, with Callum Hudon-Odoi tapping into an empty net.
Jorginho won possession in midfield and threaded Lukaku in on goal, but the striker unselfishly squared the ball to Hudson-Odoi in support, and the winger tapped home from two yards to give Chelsea a dramatic win.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Chelsea 2-1 Plymouth
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 22 predicts that Plymouth could trouble Chelsea with a spirited performance, but a late goal from Hudson-Odoi could hand the Blues a late winner to send them through to the next round.
What do you think the final score will be in the real game? Let us know in the comments below
FIFA 22 is the latest game in EA's popular FIFA video game franchise, which was released worldwide on Friday, October 1, 2021. The game is available now on all platforms including Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC.
