Leeds United will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the FA Cup clash on Wednesday night (28 February).
The Whites are on a great run at the moment and have won nine league games in a row. They have also won all their games in the Championship in 2024, and Daniel Farke’s side are in high confidence at the moment.
Last week, they sealed a dramatic 3-1 win over Leicester City in the Championship at Elland Road that saw them reducing the gap to six points.
In contrast, Chelsea have been very disappointing this season and they are heading into this game on the back of a 1-0 loss against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
What Sutton said about Chelsea v Leeds on BBC Sport
Chris Sutton told BBC Sport if Chelsea don’t win, Mauricio Pochettino will come under intense pressure. The BBC pundit feels that the game could have been a classic, but the Whites are most likely to prioritize the league over this game.
Leeds are likely to make some changes to their squad due to injuries to some of their key players. With Southampton and Ipswich Town are breathing down their neck, Farke can’t be blamed if he prioritises their promotion bid over this game. Sutton predicts a 2-0 win for the Blues.
“Chelsea really need to win this, after the way they lost the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. It was their display in extra-time that let them down against Liverpool’s kids, when they had the chance to really have a go at them,” said Sutton.
“Leeds are going very well under Farke but he might prioritise their promotion bid over this tie.
“I hope he doesn’t, but this is one of the rare occasions where I would understand if he makes some changes, because of how tight it is at the top of the Championship – they have got Ipswich and Southampton breathing down their necks, but will also feel like they can catch Leicester.
“It is really unfortunate, because otherwise Leeds could have a real go at this. The pressure is all on Chelsea and, if they don’t win, it is really going to mount on their manager Mauricio Pochettino.”
Promotion top priority for Leeds United
Sutton has rightly pointed out that it is really unfortunate that this fixture has come at the wrong time for the Whites.
Leeds have been outstanding since the turn of the year, and there is a genuine belief in the squad that they can secure an automatic promotion. It won’t be easy though, as the race is very tight.
Only a couple of weeks ago, Leicester were leading the table by 12 points and now the gap has been reduced to six. Leeds will feel they can further close down in the next few games, and for that Farke will need all his key players fit and fresh.
In a way, the FA Cup fixture has come as a distraction for them. Farke has confirmed in the pre-match press conference that key players like Georginio Rutter, Patrick Bamford, and Crysencio Summerville are major doubts for this game.
In all probability, he will make some changes to the squad, but whether that would be enough to grab a win at the Bridge remains to be seen.
