?Championship side Sheffield Wednesday travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to take on Premier League big boys Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round.
Chelsea comfortably saw off Championship opposition in the third round, beating Nottingham Forest 2-0, and will be buoyed by Thursday’s semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Owls, meanwhile, needed a replay to edge past Luton Town of League One 1-0 at Kenilworth Road in midweek after it finished 0-0 at Hillsborough on January 5. It’s Wednesday’s final match before incoming manager Steve Bruce returns from holiday and begins his reign on February 1.
There are 32 places separating the Blues and Sunday’s opponents in the Football League but the FA Cup has already seen upsets this season with Newport County and Oldham both knocking out Premier League opposition. Can the Owls be this weekend’s giant killers?
Check out 90min’s preview of Sunday night’s cup tie.
Where to Watch
| ?When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 27 January? |
| ?What Time Is Kick Off? | ?18:00 GMT |
| ?Where Is It Played? | ?Stamford Bridge |
| ?TV Channel/Live Stream? | ?BBC One |
| ?Referee? | ?Andre Marriner |
Team News
Chelsea have a near fully fit squad at their disposal and Blues fans can expect wholesale changes after an intense Carabao Cup semi-final against Spurs. Academy players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu should both start along with new signing ?Gonzalo Higuain, who is in line for his debut.
Fernando Forestieri is in contention for ?Sheffield Wednesday as he returns from injury but left-back Matt Penney faces a long spell out with a shoulder injury.
Sam Hutchinson returns to his boyhood club for whom he made 17 appearances before a chronic injury forced him to leave Chelsea and retire aged 21 – but has since returned and re-established himself in the Championship.
SH: A win would mean everything. I did an interview with Chelsea for their website the other day and I told them, if I score, I am celebrating! I don’t score many! #swfcLIVE
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) January 25, 2019
Predicted Lineups
| ?Chelsea | Caballero; Zappacosta, Ampadu, Rudiger, Alonso; Kovacic, Kante, Barkley; Hudson-Odoi, Higuain, Willian? |
| ?Sheffield Wednesday | ?Dawson; Palmer, Lees, Thorniley, Fox; Hutchinson, Bannan; Matias, Reach, Joao; Nuhiu |
Head to Head Record
Sheffield Wednesday have the better overall record in this fixture, beating the Blues 41 times and losing 36, but the sides haven’t met since 15 April 2000.
Chelsea have met the Owls on 16 occasions in the FA Cup and have a dominant record, losing just twice. Their last FA Cup meeting was in February 1999 when Chelsea won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Roberto Di Matteo.
Recent Form
Chelsea’s performance against Spurs was unrecognisable from recent weeks and they now have three wins from their previous five games. Sarri’s men have scored two goals in each of their last three home matches.
Wednesday have won two games on the bounce including a vital 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic last weekend and have only lost once since the club sacked manager Jos Luhukay in December.
Here’s how each time has performed in their last five matches:
| ?Chelsea | Sheffield Wednesday? |
| ?Chelsea 2-1 Spurs (24/01) | ?Sheff Wed 1-0 Wigan (19/01) |
| ?Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea (19/01) | ?Luton Town 0-1 Sheff Wed (15/01) |
| ?Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle (12/01) | ?Hull City 3-0 Sheff Wed (12/01) |
| ?Spurs 1-0 Chelsea (08/01) | ?Sheff Wed 0-0 Luton Town (05/01) |
| ?Chelsea 2-0 Nottingham Forest (05/01) | ?Sheff Wed 1-1 Birmingham City (01/01) |
Prediction
Wednesday will be full of energy after a full week of preparation while Chelsea only have two full days to recover from the win against Spurs.
You can never write off an underdog but when a weakened Blues side is likely to have Higuain leading the line, Chelsea should cruise past the Owls.
Let’