Chelsea will attempt to reach their second cup final of the season on Saturday when they face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.
After their 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the previous round of the competition, The Blues will face Crystal Palace in the semis, with the Eagles reaching the final four after their emphatic 4-0 win over Everton. If Chelsea win, they will reach their second final of the season after reaching the Carabao Cup final earlier in the season, and they could face either Liverpool or Manchester City, who face each other in the other semi-final.
Despite winning 3-2 on the night, Chelsea crashed out of the UEFA Champions League prior to Saturday’s FA Cup clash, with Real Madrid beating the Blues 5-4 on aggregate. With the Blues sitting third in the Premier League table, it leaves the FA Cup as the only competition Chelsea can win this season.
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Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi are the only guaranteed absentee for Chelsea, whilst Romelu Lukaku could return to the squad after his injury lay-off. So, what line-up will Tuchel select? And, what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get an FA Cup score prediction for Chelsea vs Crystal Palace. This is what happened…
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace score predicted by simulation
We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22 but didn’t select a team to control. We then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself to give us a score prediction.
We predict that Chelsea could set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount; Havertz, Werner.
(Image: EA SPORTS FIFA)
We predict that the Palace side could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Butland; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Ward; McArthur, Kouyate, Schlupp; Ayew, Mateta, Zaha.
Chelsea began the game as the much stronger side, with the Blues sitting deep in the Palace half and controlling possession. After 35 minutes, the Blues grabbed the opening goal through Kai Havertz.
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Havertz had been a big threat all afternoon, and the German got on the scoresheet with an incredible finish. Mason Mount spotted the run across the Palace backline from Havertz and picked out the German, and from a tight angle, the forward lifted his shot over Jack Butland and into the far corner.
The goal was well deserved for Chelsea, with Tuchel’s side having full control of every aspect of the game. Not long after the first, Chelsea made it 2-0 before half-time, with Mount getting himself on the scoresheet.
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N’Golo Kante picked up the ball deep in midfield and glided forward, playing a one-two with Werner as he entered the box. The French midfielder opened his body to shoot but instead squared the ball to Mount, fooling the Palace defence and opening up space for the Englishman.
Mount hit his shot first-time, fizzing his effort past Butland and sending the Blues into the break with a healthy lead. Two goals ahead, Chelsea opted to sit back and maintain possession in the second half rather than attack, and as Palace pushed forward late on for an equaliser, the Blues punished the Eagles with a third goal.
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Substitute Lukaku dropped deep to receive the ball, and the Belgian was able to find the run of Werner in-behind the Palace backline. One on one with the ‘keeper, Werner kept his shot low, driving his shot past Butland at the near post and into the net. Palace were unable to find a response, and the Blues advanced to the FA Cup final with ease.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace
Here are the full-time match stats.
(Image: EA SPORTS FIFA)
FIFA 22 predicts that Chelsea could breeze to a 3-0 win in the FA Cup final, with a dominant display handing Thomas Tuchel’s side the victory. Palace rarely threatened Chelsea in the simulation and missed the presence of Conor Gallagher in midfield, something which we could see in real-life on Saturday.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!