Chelsea return to the Etihad on Saturday 15th to face Manchester City in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. Chelsea just beat Manchester City at home on the 3rd of this month and will be looking to make a historic repeat. The lineup for this game will be slightly more unpredictable than usual, Mourinho has been reported of saying that he will rest his stars for the Premier League and the Champions League.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Chelsea have been playing in this formation for the last few years, so it will be no surprise to see them stick with what they know.
Goalkeeper: Petr Čech
Despite Mourinho’s less ambitious mindset coming into this game, he will not sacrifice his best player in goal. Mark Schwarzer is a great backup goalkeeper, but Čech will not get overtired this game.
Right Back: Cesar Azpilicueta
Mourinho will look to rest his starting right back Branislav Ivanovic, who scored the winner against Manchester City two weeks ago. Azpilicueta is reliable and fast and will surely be able to contain the right wing.
Center backs: David Luiz and Tomas Kalas
Planning to rest his starters Gary Cahill and John Terry, the Blues boss will experiment with Luiz and youngster Kalas in front of goal. This game is not extremely important to the manager, so this provides an excellent chance for youngsters to show off their skills learned in the youth team.
Left Back: Ashley Cole
Cole has lost his starting place to right-footed Azpilicueta this past season. Cole, at the age of 33, will take any starting time he can get. His pace and attacking rate has severely decreased in the past years.
Central Defensive Midfielders: Marco van Ginkel and Ramires
Van Ginkel has been out with injury and will try to make an impact on his new squad he has rarely played for. Ramires, who has taken a slight falling out in the team will start. Either van Ginkel or Ramires will surely be replaced by the defensive-minded Mikel at some point in the game.
Left Wing: Andre Schürrle
Hazard must be rested. He’s played so many consecutive games and has caused absolute havoc for all defenses he has faced. City will be glad to see him out of their opponent’s lineup. Schürrle is particularly good on the left wing and will prove his 18 million pound price tag.
Center Attacking Midfield: Willian
He has certainly proved his worth in recent games. The Brazilian’s speedy footwork and pace are valuable to Mourinho.
Right Wing: Mohamed Salah
Right out of the gates Salah expressed his natural pace. His dribbling has shown to be a little sloppy but his energy and electric sprints are inspirational.
Striker: Fernando Torres
He’s back. Coming out of a knee injury, Torres will start against Manchester City. He surely has been itching to get back into competition and will give it his all
