Thomas Tuchel and his side will be desperate to progress through to a third FA Cup final in as many years, with the competition the only feasible piece of silverware left for Chelsea this season. The Blues already know who they could face in the final following Liverpool’s victory over Manchester City in the first semi-final on Saturday.
To get there though, they must first overcome fellow London club Crystal Palace, who have impressed under new boss Patrick Vieira this season. The former Arsenal captain took over from Roy Hodgson, overseeing a squad rebuild following a number of experienced players leaving.
It has been a success so far, with the Eagles never threatened by relegation, relishing a new style of play, defeating some of the top sides in the league and enjoying a prosperous cup run. The results have then led Tuchel to be full of praise for his opposite number in his pre-match press conference : “He's (Vieira) done a fantastic job, created a very energetic team full of individual quality and very, very dangerous counter-attacking team.
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“A committed group, very tough to play against in the league and will be a tough one. For us and for them, it is a huge opportunity to play at Wembley. We need to be very well prepared to control the counter-attacks, the individual quality, the dribbles and play with the same level of intensity. They can create a certain atmosphere, especially at Selhurst Park but also at Wembley."
The good news for Tuchel heading into the game is that despite his side having to play extra-time in midweek, his squad is nearly back to full strength, with only Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell missing from the group. Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley are set to return to the squad after missing out at Real Madrid on Tuesday.
With as many as five substitutions available, this could be an important boost for the manager in their attempt to make another final. With that said, football.london takes a look at the full squad available to the manager ahead of the game.
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Malang Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Marcos Alonso, Kenedy, Harvey Vale.
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Saul Niguez, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Ross Barkley.
Forwards: Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku.
