The Emirates FA Cup Final is slated for May 19 at Wembley Stadium in London. But first, the semi-finals will take place at Wembley this weekend. Here are our FA Cup semi-finals previews and predictions.
This season’s FA Cup semi-finals include three of the top five in the Premier League and one team fighting to stave off relegation. Manchester United drew Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea got the relegation battlers, Southampton. Manchester United, Tottenham, and Chelsea have all reached the semi-finals in the last couple of seasons. It’s been 15 years since Southampton has reached this stage of the competition.
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino’s sides have squared off twice this season in the Premier League. Both teams picked up wins at home. Even though the semi-final will be played at “neutral” Wembley Stadium, Spurs will look to take any advantage they can of being on their temporary home ground.
Key Matchup: Christian Eriksen v United’s Holding Midfield
Mourinho hasn’t given out much on how he’ll lineup on Saturday, but there will be changes from the side that lost to West Brom. Nemanja Matic was rested midweek with Mourinho’s eyes on Wembley. Some combination of Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, and Scott McTominay will complete the midfield. Mourinho has used Herrera to man-mark players in the past. Expect him or McTominay to have a defense-minded assignment against Tottenham.
Harry Kane hasn’t been in good form since his return from injury a few weeks ago which could lead to an easier day for United’s central defenders. Eriksen is going to be the main man in this one. If he has space and can create chances, he’ll be the difference maker.
The matchup between Eriksen and the United midfield will be crucial. If he has space, he becomes even more dangerous and can take United’s back line out of its shape. He’ll be the key to Spurs’ attack, especially Kane, to breakthrough and get Tottenham on the board.
Players to Watch
For United, it has to be Romelu Lukaku. He’s having a strong first season with the club, but it took him a while to get off the mark against a “big six” club. Tottenham is just that. There’s no doubt he should be fresh after coming off the bench midweek and getting a goal against Bournemouth. His performance will depend on how he and Alexis Sanchez are able to link up.
Tottenham’s man to watch is Eric Dier. Whether it’s Sanchez, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata or Paul Pogba, there’s a lot of interchanging underneath Lukaku. Dier will have a massive responsibility to keep whichever group of these play through the middle to mark. He’ll have to tackle well when they’re on the ball and not allow them space behind him to link up with Lukaku.
Prediction: All the big names will have their moment to shine in this semi-final. United will know they can’t allow Spurs to beat with them with long balls through Kane. Expect United to be comfortable sitting back a bit and relying on the counter-attack to breakthrough. The stars will get their goals. 3-2, Man United get the winner in extra time. VAR will have a big moment.
Chelsea v Southampton
Two teams that that are having poor seasons, to their standards, could still save it with a chance of going to the FA Cup final. Antonio Conte’s men have slumped to fifth after a tremendous championship season prior. The Blues reached the finals of the same competition last year but were upended by Arsenal 2-1. The Saints, on the other hand, have been poor this season staring regulation in the face and are currently on their second manager of the season. The Saint in four games have only allowed one goal in competition.
Head to Head
Chelsea and Southampton have already met twice this season. A 1-0 victory for Chelsea in December, and more recently, a 3-2 comeback victory for Chelsea. In that 3-2 victory, the Blues scored three goals in eight minutes to stun the Saint Mary’s Stadium crowd. Two Olivier Giroud goals and Hazard push them across the finish line. The Saint have only won three times against the Blues in the last sixteen years, all of them in the Premier League. This will only be the second time the two teams meet in the FA Cup this century, last was 2013 a 5-1 win for Chelsea.
Key Players
The Blues will be without star defender Marcos Alonso after being charged with violent conduct for a dangerous challenge on Shane Long against the Saints. Alonso has scored one and assisted two against the Saints in four appearances. With the lineup uncertain, Hazard is most likely to start with Morata/Giroud and Willian or Pedro. Giroud has made himself a name in the FA cup scoring 14 goals in 25 appearances. For the Saints, the midfield will need to be compact if they want a chance to beat the Blue James Ward-Prowse, Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, and Oriol Romeu will need to hold firm in defense and hope to grab a goal on the counter-attack. Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini are the lucky sources of the goals.
Prediction: As the competition is coming to its end, each team will play conservative and try to get goals on the counter-attack and set pieces. The Blues will dominate possession and have a moment of brilliance from Hazard or Willian to take a lead going into halftime. The Saints will push forward in the second half and pressure the net of Courtois. In the end, the Saints will struggle to create chances and fall out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals, and the Blues will go on to face Spurs or United.
Let us know your thoughts on the two semi-final matches and be on the lookout for our FA Cup Final coverage in May. Follow us on Twitter to join the conversation and keep up with more articles, @PerSources_JP and @CamB_PerSources