Two teams that were expected to battle for the Premier League crown now face each other in the FA Cup as Chelsea host Manchester City. It hasn’t been a good run of results recently for City as they lost back-to-back home games to Leicester and then to Tottenham to send them down to fourth place in the league.
Chelsea are also recovering from their rather poor start to the season and they know that the FA Cup is a realistic target for silverware under Guus Hiddink. Both teams would be looking to progress into the next round and this testing tie could well help decide who could eventually win the trophy from Arsenal.
With a lot of stars on show, we provide the three key battles for the game that can decide which way the tie goes.
The striker has been on fire ever since Guus Hiddink arrived at the club having banged in more goals than he did for the entirety under Jose Mourinho this season. Costa seems to have the passion back in his game which made him a feared striker last season for Chelsea.
He would be going up against a defender who was brought in for good money but he hasn’t been able to shine all that well due to his missing partner in defence, Vincent Kompany due to injury. Otamendi might not have the pace to beat Costa but he would have to be at his crafty best to keep a lid on the Spanish striker that is getting better after every game under Hiddink.
2. Willian vs. Pablo Zabaleta
The star of the Chelsea season so far, Willian is the only player who has lived up to his ability and reputation for the Blues this term. The Brazilian has been brilliant for the Blues especially with his work rate and his delivery from dead-balls.
The Brazilian though will have a tough time against Pablo Zabaleta on the left-flank of the Chelsea team. Zabaleta is another player with loads of experience and Manuel Pellegrini will expect the wily Argentine to deal with the Chelsea winger.
3. Nemanja Matic vs. Fernando
The battle of two midfielders who don’t give an inch, Matic and Fernando will be at each other’s throats in a bid to ensure that their respective teams control the midfield. This could be the battle that will decide which team controls the game overall and the tempo.
This would be a battle not for the squeamish, both are men who want to tackle and will not pull out of one. Though they might not completely head to head, the one man who comes out on top of this fight on the pitch can help his team dominate.
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