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Chelsea travel to north Wales to take on Wrexham in the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend with Blues head coach Liam Rosenior expected to make wholesale changes
There is very little rest for Chelsea as Liam Rosenior prepares to take his squad to north Wales on Saturday evening to take on Wrexham.
The Welsh side, who have enjoyed a remarkable rise up the English divisions in recent seasons, are hoping to secure a play-off finish in the Championship this term, as well as keep progressing in the FA Cup.
The Blues will stand in their way on Saturday night at the Racecourse Ground, with Rosenior looking for his first piece of silverware since becoming head coach two months ago. Just 72 hours after Chelsea's victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League, Rosenior is set to make wholesale changes to his XI - and, with that being said, Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes discuss what they would do if they were in the head coach's shoes.
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Bobby Vincent
The goalkeeper situation is really interesting. Robert Sanchez was dropped to the bench on Wednesday night, with Filip Jorgensen taking his spot at Villa Park.
Jorgensen did well in the Midlands, but we don't know what Rosenior is thinking regarding the trip to Paris next week. If he plans to bring Sanchez back for the Champions League last-16 first leg, then I would keep Jorgensen in goal for Wrexham.
I expect a much-changed defence. Josh Acheampong should be given a go at right-back, with Malo Gusto and Reece James both getting a rest for the FA Cup tie. Mamadou Sarr and Benoit Badiashile should come into the back four, with Jorrel Hato keeping his place on the left-hand side, with the plan of using Marc Cucurella, who returned from injury against Villa, in Paris next week.
Chelsea's options in the centre of midfield, or lack of, mean Moises Caicedo may be asked to go again. Alongside Caicedo, I would use Romeo Lavia for his first start since November, with Andrey Santos used in the No.10 role just ahead of the duo.
Pedro Neto will return from suspension and the Portuguese winger could start on the right wing, with Alejandro Garnacho used on the left-hand side again after an impressive display against Villa. Cole Palmer should not even travel to Wrexham.
Joao Pedro should not be used either. Rosenior should look to wrap the in-form Brazilian in cotton wool and use Liam Delap in the No.9 role, with Marc Guiu an option from the bench.
Bobby's XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Sarr, Badiashile, Hato; Lavia, Caicedo; Neto, Santos, Garnacho; Delap
Jake Stokes
Chelsea have only been given a couple of days to recharge their batteries and prepare for the clash against Wrexham, so I wouldn't be surprised if Rosenior made wholesale changes to the starting line-up. Although the Blues boss will approach the game like any other, he'll certainly have one eye on Wednesday evening's clash against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League last-16.It would be nice to see Jorgensen continue between the sticks and build some momentum, but I think Sanchez will be given a chance to redeem himself. Rosenior would have likely rotated his goalkeeper for this clash, regardless of who was in net for Chelsea's win over Aston Villa.The Blues boss could change his backline entirely, bringing in Acheampong, Sarr, Badiashile, and Cucurella. A start could be too soon for the latter, who's only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, so Gusto could very well feature at left-back instead.In the middle of the park, we could see Lavia start his first game for Chelsea since November. He's enjoyed a couple of brief cameos lately, and perhaps an hour or so against Wrexham is the perfect opportunity for the midfielder step up his rehabilitation.In an ideal world, Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are both rested in preparation for the PSG game, but I think one of them will start against the Championship outfit this weekend. On the wings, unless Estevao Willian is suddenly ready to start, Rosenior will probably go for Neto and Garnacho.The Blues need to wrap up the game inside the opening 60 minutes, so one of them can come off for Jesse Derry – just as they did against Hull City in the previous round. Delap will lead the line; it'd also be nice to see Guiu get a chance, but I doubt Chelsea will trial a 4-4-2.Jake's XI: Sanchez; Acheampong, Sarr, Badiashile, Cucurella; Lavia, Santos; Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho; Delap
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