FA Cup Semi-Final | City v Chelsea pre-match thread

[chris85mcfc]

It's going to go to penalties.

Chelsea will win on penalties.

Bluemoon will have a meltdown that Ederson wasn't subbed on for the penalties in place of Ortega...

I'd be subbing Ederson on for Kovacic for penalties, and leave Ortega in net!

 

[Len Rum]

Ortega
Lewis Stones Dias Ake
Nunes Kovacic
Bobb Foden Doku
Alvarez

I'd go Gvardiol instead of Stones.
Ake/ Gvardiol CB/LB interchangeable.
Personally I don't think Rodders/ Stones / Foden/ KDB / Walker/ Haaland / Grealish should start. They need rest for the all important PL program beginning next Thursday vs Brighton.
Any sniff of this game going extra time and we should basically go 1-0-10 formation!

 

[BringBackSwales]

i take it you didn't see the last game

Yeah I was at last nights game, as I always am. We absolutely battered Real Madrid, but a combination of good defending, poor finishing and shit refereeing denied us. It happens, spoilt brats like you just can’t understand that or handle it

 

[mosssideblue]

not gonna be easy this, ball over the top to runners were our undoing in the last game time and again, hope pep has a plan

He will always have a plan. It’s unrealistic to think it can and will always be executed

 

[wolviedinho]

I hope we can use the Madrid defeat as motivation to finish the season successfully.

We won so much last year, now tasting defeat in a shit way. if we go on to win the league it will be another wonderful season.

On this game, chavs scoring at will it seems so playing a high line turnover on transitions could be yet again our undoing. They will want a frantic game with early pressure could see us concede early.

The reaction to a defeat will be interesting. I can see a mixed team with Haaland and Kev rested. Maybe Bobb or Doku to start with Alvarez.

 

[Len Rum]

I hope we can use the Madrid defeat as motivation to finish the season successfully.

We won so much last year, now tasting defeat in a shit way. if we go on to win the league it will be another wonderful season.

On this game, chavs scoring at will it seems so playing a high line turnover on transitions could be yet again our undoing. They will want a frantic game with early pressure could see us concede early.

The reaction to a defeat will be interesting. I can see a mixed team with Haaland and Kev rested. Maybe Bobb or Doku to start with Alvarez.

We've done it before to react to a CL loss by winning the PL - 2018/19 following the Spursy QF CL defeat and 2021/22 after the RM SF CL defeat.
No reason we shouldn't it again!

 

[city saint]

in a way im glad its a cup game after the grueling madrid game at least the hangover should be over by next thursday with plenty of rest

 

[Blue Steel]

Tricky to predict - so many tired players but I think Pep will rotate as little as he can get away with. It’s still an FA Cup semi final at the end of the day.

Ortega
Lewis
Stones
Dias
Ake (if he’s ready to start)
Kovacic
Rodri (not sure he will get a rest)
Foden
Grealish
Doku
Haaland (still think he will start over Alvarez)

Perplexed by how many are leaving Grealish out. Only played 70 last night and shouldn’t even have been taken off. In fact I really wish Pep would place him centrally with Bobb and Doku on the wings. Then rest Foden.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Impossible to pick the side for this. It will be entirely based on who isn't absolutely fucked from Madrid. Ortega will play, you assume, stones, ake, kovacic, doku, alvarez will all Start. Lewis, Nunes and Bobb could all easily start too. If they all start then you fill the gaps, probably gvardiol and foden leaving

Ortega
Lewis
Stones
Ake
Gvardiol
Kovacic
Nunes
Foden
Bobb
Doku
Alvarez

This will be a very difficult game, expect us to be somewhat sluggish and them well up for it. Squad needs to show up here if we don't want to go out of 2 cups in a week.

 

[jimbo786]

I think there will be a lot of rotation here even though it isnt ideal to have to do so. in my opinion those that are advocating for a full strength line up dont fully factor in that if you have a fresh player say Bobb or Nunez or Alvarez are they going to perform better than a usual starter if that usual starter is fatigued and at 80% fitness?

So a what looks like a weaker lineup on paper is not neccesarily actually a weaker line up on the pitch.