The State of Play
Although Chelsea entertain Preston in the FA Cup this weekend, Mauricio Pochettino may have one eye on next Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough, as the manager sets his sights on securing his inaugural piece of silverware in English football. Pochettino, formerly of Tottenham and Southampton, has overseen a peculiar and inconsistent campaign for The Blues, showcasing flashes of brilliance but struggling with overall poor results.
Chelsea entered the New Year on a positive note, clinching a much-needed and hard-fought 3-2 victory over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in their recent outing. This marked consecutive wins for The Pensioners, who have suffered just one defeat in their last five matches across all competitions.
Read our other FA Cup news stories here:
Newcastle aware of importance of Sunderland clash – Howe
‘You have to treat it differently’ – Postecoglou on FA Cup bow
Emery wants more knockout glory as Aston Villa target FA Cup run
In Lancashire, Ryan Lowe finds himself under considerable pressure as Preston North End supporters express dissatisfaction with both results and the overall style of football at Deepdale. Despite starting the season with the promise of automatic promotion contention, the Whites have slipped into the bottom half of the table.
Having played 26 Championship matches this season, Preston has accumulated 35 points. However, a significant portion of those points were secured in the opening eight matches. Over the last 19 matches in the second tier, Preston has averaged 0.79 points per game, making their strong start crucial in avoiding a genuine relegation battle at this stage.
Team News
Mauricio Pochettino has indicated that both Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka have resumed full first-team training with Chelsea. However, they are currently in the reconditioning phase of their overall recovery, making it unlikely for them to feature in this weekend’s match.
The Blues’ unavailability list includes Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Robert Sanchez, and Lesley Ugochukwu. Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile are in a similar phase of recovery to Chilwell and Chukwuemeka.
Ryan Lowe might opt for an unchanged line-up from Preston’s recent 2-0 defeat at the hands of Sunderland. Fortunately, there are no new injury concerns or suspension issues for the team.
While key defender Jack Whatmough remains unavailable for Lowe, there’s positive news with the return of former Norwich winger Robbie Brady, who missed a significant portion of the festive period due to an injury sustained against Swansea before Christmas.
Expected Line-ups
Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gallagher, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Jackson; Broja
Preston North End: Woodman; Potts, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; McCann; Browne, Whiteman, Frokjaer-Jensen, Millar; Evans
What they Said
Maurizio Pochettino on competing in the FA Cup:
“A different competition allows us to provide to the team some different players to use to see how they behave and perform. It’s an important competition for us in the way we are building this team and [is a] possibility to provide the team and players [with] good experience. We cannot be satisfied as we are in Chelsea and the expectation is to win.”
Ryan Lowe on facing a Premier League club:
“There are not many weeks you go and play at Stamford Bridge, against a Premier League team – so it is a big occasion for the football club, the players and the fans. I want our fans to go and be proud of what our lads do for them on that day”.
When and How to Watch
This match is being televised live on BBC Red Button, and can be streamed on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Prediction
Chelsea’s reliability may be questionable in recent times, but their EFL Cup journey commenced with fixtures akin to this, facing lower-league opponents at Stamford Bridge. For Preston, the priority lies in reversing their league form, with Ryan Lowe possibly teetering on the brink of an exit. A decisive victory for the home side is anticipated though, with Chelsea’s superior quality coming to the fore.
