At Mauricio Pochettino’s press conference ahead of the FA Cup match against Preston on Friday, he said he was going to field a strong team in both cup competitions this year, pointing out that there is a potential route to Europe available in each of them. .
Chelsea have been very poor for long periods this season, completely desperate at times, and the chances of us winning anything seemed slim. Whether it’s South African sports betting or a more local site, you can get excellent odds on the Blues lifting a trophy this season. It could be worth a gamble, given that the Premier League’s top teams are likely to rest their players to focus on qualifying for Europe through the league.
We are already in the semi-final of the EFL Cup, with two games left against Middlesbrough. This tie is by no means a given just because our opponent is in the Championship: we have fought against many weak teams this season, and they will be especially motivated by the opportunity to play a rare match at Wembley. Riverside will be at full strength on January 9 and it would be a big mistake to underestimate Michael Carrick’s team.
But in two games, especially with the second game at Stamford Bridge, a full-strength Chelsea team should have more than enough to defeat the 12th-place team in the Championship. If we can’t, we have no place in Europe anyway.
If we can get past Boro, we will play Fulham or Liverpool: tougher tests, but both beatable in a single match at Wembley without a doubt.
Meanwhile, in the FA Cup we beat Preston in the Fourth Round, and although our performance was unconvincing (despite a comfortable final score of 4-0), it was a game in which the manager really showed his intention to use the strongest possible team. in all the cup games this season. Aside from a rested Conor Gallagher, Pochettino used a full squad, even to the point of upsetting some fans who wanted to see more youth and rotation.
That competition is more of an unknown, since the Third Round has just been played and there are still many top-level teams. But if things continue to improve over the next few months, and if we can get our first XI fit and running, we can certainly go far in the competition while other teams focus on their European exploits and league position.
