Prediction and odds for the game: Chelsea (4/7) vs Crystal Palace (5/1)

We are backing the Chelsea win

When: Sunday 17 April 2022, Kick-off 16:30

Where: Wembley

On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea and Crystal Palace go head-to-head at Wembley as the two capital teams battle for a place in the FA Cup final.

Chelsea

The Blues will head into this game on the back of midweek Champions League quarter-finals disappointment. Thomas Tuchel’s team defeated Spanish giants Real Madrid 3-2 at the Bernabeu in extra time, only to exit the competition 5-4 on aggregate.

The FA Cup is now the Blues’ last chance to win a trophy this season to add to their FIFA Club World Cup.

Chelsea’s recent form has been slightly inconsistent. The team from south west London suffered two straight defeats to Brentford and Real Madrid before a 6-0 demolition of Southampton and the 3-1 win over Real Madrid in 90 minutes last time out.

The Blues’ path to the FA Cup semi-finals has been a smooth one, as Tuchel’s team has seen off Chesterfield, Plymouth Argyle, Luton, and Middlesbrough. They needed extra time to beat Plymouth in the fourth round. It is the only round that Chelsea hasn’t scored two or more goals in.

Crystal Palace

The Eagles have enjoyed a solid campaign under former Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira. Palace looks unlikely to be involved in the fight for survival and has made it to the FA Cup semi-final. In fact, they are currently in with a chance of a top ten finish in the English top-flight, having played some excellent football this season.

That must be seen as a successful campaign in the eyes of most associated with the club after a summer of massive changes and upheaval.

Palace are in decent form, as they have lost just once in their last eight games in all competitions. A 2-1 defeat at Leicester last time out ended a seven-game unbeaten in competitive games.

The Eagles had a straightforward journey to the last four of the FA Cup, as they defeated Millwall, Hartlepool, Stoke City and Everton. The latter three wins all came at Selhurst Park. Vieira’s team has shown their attacking ability by scoring at least two goals in all four rounds of the cup so far.

One blow for Palace is the fact that influential on-loan midfielder Conor Gallagher is unable to play against his parent club.

Conclusion

Chelsea will no doubt be fatigued by their midweek Champions League exertions. However, they have enough strength-in-depth to rotate their squad and still get a result in this encounter. We are backing Chelsea to record the victory, especially with Gallagher missing in the Eagle’s engine room.

The other bet we are backing is for over 2.5 goals to be scored. Both teams have been effective in attack this season and we think this will be an entertaining encounter.

Our Tips: We are backing the Chelsea win at odds of 4/7 and/or over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 10/11. (All odds are taken from Bet365)

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Which of these capital clubs will book their place in this year’s FA Cup final?