Continue reading the main story Several of Chelsea's first-team players are likely to be rested for the visit of Championship play-off contenders Watford in Sunday's FA Cup tie.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has an injured finger, so experienced understudy Petr Cech could slot in.
And first-choice forwards Diego Costa and Eden Hazard could be left out after an arduous winter schedule.
"Obviously we are going to rest a couple of players. That's normal," said boss Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea suffered a 5-3 defeat to Tottenham in the league on New Year's Day and have won only four of their last eight games in all competitions.
Watford, meanwhile, sit fifth in the second tier and won four of their five matches in December, scoring 12 goals in the process.
Mourinho added: "We will give a chance to other people to play and to show what they can do. Obviously we want to try to beat Watford, but at the same time we have to analyse the players' condition and make the right decision for them."
The Hornets have no new injury concerns, with Gabriel Tamas and Joel Ekstrand still unavailable and Sebastien Bassong ineligible under the terms of his loan arrangement with Norwich.
Chelsea have won four of the five FA Cup ties they have played against Watford, including one after a replay.
The Blues have scored nine goals without conceding in two previous FA Cup ties against the Hornets.
The first meeting between Chelsea and Watford (March 1970) and the last (January 2010) came in the FA Cup.
Chelsea have lost only two of their last 33 FA Cup matches (W25 D6 L2), though one of the draws led to elimination on penalties by Everton.
Oscar has four goals and two assists in eight FA Cup starts for Chelsea.
In the last six seasons, Watford have been knocked out twice by Man City, twice by Chelsea, once by Spurs and once by Brighton.











0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.