DATE: 14/04/13
KICK OFF: 16.00pm
VENUE: Wembley Stadium
PREDICTION: 1-2
Preview
As the song goes; 'Wembley, Wembley, we're the famous Man City and we're going to Wembley.' We certainly are, and this time, it's the against the holders.
The winners of the last two FA Cup finals prepare to collide and City are ready to claim back what they believe to be rightfully theirs.
Mancini's men were painfully denied a consecutive trip to Wembley last season when they lost out to 2012's runners up, Liverpool. However, a slightly more straight-forward cup run has seen the sky blues casually ease into the semi-finals, where a much tougher opponent awaits them.
Many believe that the future of City's Italian boss relies entirely on the cup having seen his stars give away the Premier League title to their Manchester neighbours. But 'Bobby Manc' put one boot in the mouths of his critics on Monday night when he recorded a pride instilling 1-2 victory over his greatest rival, Sir Alex Ferguson.
City's last meeting with Chelsea saw Yaya and co. stride past Rafa's men with a 2-0 victory. The 2011 cup winners will be hoping for a similar result this Sunday.
Chelsea's topsy-turvy has been on the lips of many this season, but their campaign is definitely not over. Benitez has received plenty of unfair criticism from the Chelsea faithful, especially considering his side are still in with a chance of collecting two trophies. The Blues also remain in the fight for the 3rd Champions League spot and are currently in pole position for that place ahead of their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
The Pensioners will also be buoyed by their £50m star's goalscoring record of late. Fernando Torres has netted 3 times in his last 3 games, including an incredible lob from 35 yards that helped his side into the semi-finals of the Europa League. With Torres in form, an incredibly difficult FA Cup run to boast (including a victory over Manchester United) and a cup to defend, Chelsea will definitely not be walked over on Sunday afternoon.
FA Cup runs
Southampton 1 - 5 Chelsea
Brentford 2 - 2 Chelsea (Replay: Chelsea 4 - 0 Brentford)
Middlesbrough 0 - 2 Chelsea
Manchester United 2 - 2 Chelsea (Replay: Chelsea 1 - 0 Manchester United)
Manchester City 3 - 0 Watford
Stoke City 0 - 1 Manchester City
Manchester City 4 - 0 Leeds United
Manchester City 5 - 0 Barnsley
Line-Up
As City start to enter the business end of the FA Cup, do we still go with Pantillimon or our trusted No.1 Joe Hart? This question was raised by none other than @FanzoneDanny on Twitter.
It seems that Twitter's blues believe the 6 ft 8 stopper should remain between the sticks for the semi-final. City are yet to concede in the FA Cup this season and it would be unfair to take his well earned place away from him.
David Silva is a 'major doubt' for Sunday's game following a suspected hamstring tear in Monday night's derby day victory over Manchester United. Although the Spaniard is unlikely to be out of action for long, the news will worry the City faithful.
However, Mancini may not need to fill Merlin's role in midfield. Instead, the Italian could go with two upfront with Tevez and Aguero turning in performances against United that both warrant a start this weekend. I'd expect to see a 4-4-2 formation, with Aguero in for Silva.
Head to Head
The teams have only ever met three times in the FA Cup, City winning two out of the three fixtures that were played in 1915, 1948 and 1971. Their last meeting in 1971 ended 3-0 to the Citizens. The three meetings have only ever been played in the third and fourth rounds of the cup, making Sunday's fixture the most important FA Cup tie ever played between the two sides.
However, things have changed since 1971 and City's success against Chelsea in the past will bear no omen on Sunday's meeting and the lack of fixtures between the two sides in the FA Cup will only add to the unpredictability of the tie.
Key Players
Juan Mata
Juan Mata has been the star of Chelsea's season with 10 goals and 14 assists in 28 league games. This sensational record has earned him praise from around the world, including City's very own David Silva who has described his fellow Spain international as a 'great player'.
Sergio Aguero
Now that the Argentine is back, expect City's goal tally to soar. Mancini's title winning hero has been plagued by injury this season and he showed fans what they were missing on Monday night with a sensational individual goal to secure victory against Manchester United.
Top Scorers
Juan Mata
18
Carlos Tevez
16
Head to Head
The teams have only ever met three times in the FA Cup, City winning two out of the three fixtures that were played in 1915, 1948 and 1971. Their last meeting in 1971 ended 3-0 to the Citizens. The three meetings have only ever been played in the third and fourth rounds of the cup, making Sunday's fixture the most important FA Cup tie ever played between the two sides.
However, things have changed since 1971 and City's success against Chelsea in the past will bear no omen on Sunday's meeting and the lack of fixtures between the two sides in the FA Cup will only add to the unpredictability of the tie.
Key Players
Juan Mata
Juan Mata has been the star of Chelsea's season with 10 goals and 14 assists in 28 league games. This sensational record has earned him praise from around the world, including City's very own David Silva who has described his fellow Spain international as a 'great player'.
Sergio Aguero
Now that the Argentine is back, expect City's goal tally to soar. Mancini's title winning hero has been plagued by injury this season and he showed fans what they were missing on Monday night with a sensational individual goal to secure victory against Manchester United.
Top Scorers
Juan Mata
18
Carlos Tevez
16
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