Chelsea make five changes to the starting XI named for the League Cup final last Sunday. Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Trevoh Chalobah, Alfie Gilchrist and Robert Sánchez replace Conor Gallagher, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell and Đorđe Petrović, all of whom drop to the bench.
Leeds also make five changes to their starting line-up, in the wake of their late 3-1 win over Leicester City last Friday. Liam Cooper, Connor Roberts, Jaidon Anthony, Dan James and Mateo Joseph are in; Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto drop to the bench, while Georginio Rutter and Ilia Gruev miss out altogether.
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gilchrist, Disasi, Chalobah, Gusto, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Sterling, Mudryk, Jackson.
Subs: Palmer, Chilwell, Gallagher, Colwill, Petrovic, Tauriainen, Samuels-Smith, Harrison, Murray-Campbell.
Leeds United: Meslier, Roberts, Rodon, Cooper, Firpo, Ampadu, Gray, Anthony, Piroe, James, Fernandez.
Subs: Cresswell, Kamara, Bamford, Summerville, Klaesson, Shackleton, Byram, Gnonto, van den Heuvel.
Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire).
Tonight's Chelsea team, featuring five changes from Sunday… 📋#CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/zxTOCmBJsJ
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 28, 2024
📋 Your #LUFC Starting XI... pic.twitter.com/2XKAxoydir
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 28, 2024
Now then, Chelsea and Leeds United in the FA Cup. There really is only one place to go.
Marvellous stuff, albeit with the usual think-of-the-kids vapour-infused caveats. Times have changed, so a repeat performance of such skyscraping hoodlummery is unlikely, but then Chelsea and Leeds still don’t like each other very much, and the heat and pressure is on Mauricio Pochettino and his players in the wake of last weekend’s League Cup final extra-time no-show, so nothing’s off the table. This has the potential to be a rollocking great FA Cup tie in the old tradition. Kick off is at 7.30pm GMT and we’ll have extra time and penalties if necessary. It’s on!