Chelsea will face Preston North End and make their debut in the FA Cup this season on Saturday. The side coached by Mauricio Pochettino comes from two consecutive wins in the Premier League against Crystal Palace and Luton Town and have now the chance to make a third one against the Championship side on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have won all three of their FA Cup ties against Preston, beating them in a fourth round replay in 1968-69, in the fifth round in 2001-02, and in the fourth round in 2009-10. Here’s what you need to know:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 6 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Stamford Bridge — London
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Chelsea -460; Draw +700; Preston +1400
Storylines
Chelsea: Chelsea’s long injury list includes Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Romeo Lavia (all thigh), Wesley Fofana, Robert Sanchez, Carney Chukwuemeka (all knee), Marc Cucurella (ankle) and Lesley Ugochukwu (muscle), while Nicolas Jackson is also unavailable as he joined the Senegal squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. Enzo Fernandez recovered and came back in the last game against Luton and might start on Saturday.
Preston: Ryan Lowe should be able to choose from the same squad which was named at Sunderland on New Year’s Day, with the potential addition of Robbie Brady. The left-sider went off injured in the defeat to Swansea City on December 22 and missed the next three fixtures, but he returned to training on Thursday and will be assessed ahead of the weekend. Jack Whatmough will miss out for the second successive match due to a knee injury.
Prediction
Despite the injuries, Pochettino’s team need to focus on both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup (they will face Middlesbrough in the semifinals) and should win this clash. Pick: Chelsea 2, Preston 0.
