Chelsea have drawn Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals, where they will meet on the weekend of April 16 at Wembley Stadium. The Blues managed to overcome Middlesbrough, Luton Town, Plymouth Argyle and Chesterfield to reach the final four.
Thomas Tuchel's men have already beaten the Eagles twice this season, managing a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park while the reverse fixture was a 3-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge. Another result like those will book the Blues their third FA Cup final in a row.
The German coach will certainly be hoping it is third time lucky though, as his side have lost the past two finals in the competition on the bounce, having done so to Arsenal and then Leicester City last year. The trip to Wembley could also put to rest the memories of a Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool last month..
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As for Crystal Palace, a trip to Wembley has only added to a great season for them under new boss Patrick Vieira. The former Arsenal midfielder took charge in the summer and has turned the side around from relegation battlers to comfortable in mid-table.
The Eagles will not want to stop there though, with a place in the final up for grabs in April. The Palace manager was full of praise for his opposite number Tuchel when they met back in February, saying: "Since he [Tuchel] arrived there you make a judgement on what you’re winning at the end of the season. Winning the Champions League and being the World Champions - it’s hard to do better than that."
One player who has impressed under Vieira is Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher. The midfielder has become a nuisance for opponents, with his pressing often making him hard to shake off. He won't be able to feature for Palace though, as he didn't in the Premier League games, due to Chelsea being his parent club.
The Blues will also be hoping any ownership concerns are over come the match, which would allow for fans to attend at Wembley. Following the sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich, the club have been unable to sell tickets and only had a small section make the trip up to Middlesbrough as they had a ticket before the sporting licence came into operation.
Either way, Tuchel is set to face a tough challenge ahead in the next month, if a third consecutive FA Cup final is set to be reached. In the other semi-final, Manchester City are set to face on of Liverpool or Nottingham Forest.
