While most of the United Kingdom enjoys some extra time off over the long Easter weekend, Chelsea face two matches in three days as they travel to Southampton in the Barclays Premier League before welcoming Manchester United for an FA Cup sixth-round replay.
The record at St Mary’s is outstanding – four of our five visits to the ground have ended in victory, including the first-ever competitive game played at the Saints’ stadium and a 5-1 drubbing in the FA Cup earlier this term. That game saw Demba Ba mark his Chelsea debut with two goals, while he was also on target when the Saints came to visit Stamford Bridge in January. However, a 2-2 draw in that game is a reminder that a tricky fixture awaits Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the Blues are looking to lift the world’s oldest cup for the eighth time in club history, but standing between Chelsea and a semi-final clash with Manchester City are the Citizens’ fierce rivals Manchester United. Although the FA Cup record against the Red Devils isn’t the best, the manner in which Chelsea fought back from two goals down in the first match at Old Trafford gives Chelsea hope that they remain on course for a fourth final appearance in five years.
However, after the euphoria of that fightback, John Mikel Obi was quick to offer some words of warning: “This FA Cup tie is not yet done. You never write off Man United at any time and we have to go back to London and make sure we put this tie away.”
