Chelsea host Sheffield Wednesday at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with the intention of moving into the FA Cup fifth round.
Maurizio Sarri’s men closed in on Carabao Cup glory on Thursday as they defeated Tottenham on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw to book a date with Manchester City at Wembley on February 24 but they have a hectic schedule to negotiate before then.
The Blues, then, will want to ensure that they complete the job first time against their middle-of-the-road Championship opponents.
| Game | Chelsea vs Sheffield Wednesday |
| Date | Sunday, January 27 |
| Time | 6pm GMT / 1pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N.A | ESPN+ |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be shown live on TV via BBC One and streamed via BBC iPlayer.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Kepa, Caballero, Green |
| Defenders | Rudiger, Alonso, Moses, Zappacosta, Cahill, Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Emerson, Ampadu |
| Midfielders | Jorginho, Drinkwater, Kante, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Hazard, Pedro, Willian, Hudson-Odoi |
| Forwards | Morata, Giroud, Higuain |
Chelsea starting XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Ampadu, Christensen, Alonso, Barkley, Kovacic, Willian, Higuain, Hudson-Odoi.
| Position | Sheffield Wednesday squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Westwood, Wildsmith, Dawson |
| Defenders | Lees, Hector, Van Aken, Baker, O'Grady, Fisker Nielsen, Pudil, Fox, Thorniley, Penney, Palmer |
| Midfielders | Kirkby, Hutchison, Pelupessy, Bannan, Jones, Boyd, Reach |
| Forwards | Preston, Matias, Fletcher, Joao, Winnall, Nuhiu, Stobbs |
Sheffield Wednesday starting XI: Westwood, Palmer, Lees, Thorniley, Fox, Hutchinson, Bannan, Pelupessy, Reach, Boyd, Fletcher.
Betting & Match Odds
Chelsea are hot favourites to win this clash, priced at 2/9 with bet365 . Sheffield Wednesday can be backed to win at 12/1 and a draw at 13/2.
Match Preview
Getty Images
Defending FA Cup winners Chelsea have been handed a home tie against Championship opponents Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round of the 2018-19 competition.
The tie comes on the back of a period of relative uncertainty for the Stamford Bridge outfit, who started the season so positively but have dropped back dramatically thereafter.
Indeed, even winning a place in the Champions League next season now looks complicated after they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal last weekend, leaving them only three points ahead of their north London rivals in fourth.
Thursday’s Carabao Cup success over Tottenham was welcome, but even that was only achieved following the need for a penalty shootout, which the Blues claimed 4-2. The 90 minutes, though, were encouraging as they dominated the game and won 2-1 thanks to goals from N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard. Spurs, meanwhile, struck with their only shot on target over 90 minutes.
“I think that they reacted very well tonight,” Sarri said, considering the weekend loss, which he was publicly angry over.
“I didn’t attack my players, I only said we had a problem. The reaction was very good but I think we need to have motivation with continuity now, but I was very happy with the performance before the penalties.
“I think in the last three or four matches we had a problem, firstly motivation and then the players stopped to having fun on the pitch. Now with this performance and result we can once again find enthusiasm which is very important.”
Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, are sure to provide stubborn opponents. Although they required a replay to see off Luton in the previous round, they have kept five clean sheets in their last eight competitive matches and have conceded only one goal in two of the others.
The three-time FA Cup winners, however, start as huge underdogs against opponents who already have a packed schedule and will be eager to avoid a replay as they continue the defence of their crown.
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