The injury clouds appear to be lifting ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester City, as Chelsea’s concerns regarding the availability of Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto are no more.
Chelsea enters the FA Cup final against Manchester City with serious fitness concerns surrounding both Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto after both players missed the Liverpool draw due to knocks.
Despite their absence, Chelsea showed resilience in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. Without any senior wingers available, the Blues relied on a makeshift lineup, which we could see repeated at Wembley, with Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro standing out.
However, with the potential to go 120 minutes in the FA Cup, the Blues will want to have as many of their best players back to face an in-form Manchester City.
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Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho should be available for FA Cup final
According to The Athletic, it is hoped both Garnacho and Pedro Neto will be available for the FA Cup final against Man City, but it is far from certain they will feature at Wembley.
Garnacho holds a particularly impressive record at Wembley. His most iconic moment came during the 2024 FA Cup Final, where he scored the opening goal in a 2-1 victory over Man City for Manchester United. That strike made him the first teenager to find the net in an FA Cup final in two decades. He continued this trend in the 2024 Community Shield, again scoring against City at Wembley.
Neto has played a pivotal role in the Blues’ journey to this year’s final, notably providing the winning assist in the 1-0 victory over Leeds United in the semi-final. As well as this, the Portuguese winger scored a hat-trick against Hull City to set Chelsea well on their way.
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The Liverpool performance gives Chelsea the benchmark
To stifle Manchester City at Wembley, Chelsea should replicate the disciplined, narrow setup that secured a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Without Neto and Garnacho’s natural width, the Blues found success by utilising Marc Cucurella as an inverted threat and clogging the midfield with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
The five at the back offers the defensive solidity that will be required against a dangerous Manchester City side. But you also don’t want to sacrifice things in the final third.
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