Chelsea
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2 - 1
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Everton
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FA Cup final: Chelsea v Everton Match Preview
Despite drawing 0-0 against Tottenham at the week-end, Everton have sealed their place for Europe next season. The Toffees are sixth in the league and manager David Moyes could add more fire to his impressive season when the Blue boys of the Merseyside clash against London Blues Chelsea in the final of the FA Cup.
Everton beat Manchester United 4-2 on penalties to progress to the final in Wembley this weekend, while Chelsea saw out Arsenal 2-1 to reach their second final in the space of three years.
Blues to go Red at Wembley
Saturday will be Chelsea’s last attempt to win a trophy this season. Guus Hiddink’s men endured a tough and controversial 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge against Barcelona in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
After suffering an exit from Europe last week, Chelsea bounced back with a 4-1 trouncing victory at the Emirates to definitely seal the third automatic Champions League place for next season.
The Blues will sweat blood if needed to kill their Merseyside opponents at Wembley to win the FA Cup once again, and somehow cool down their fury and brush away their disappointment of bowing out from Europe.
Speaking after Chelsea’s demolition of Arsenal last weekend, Hiddink boasted about his squad’s abilities:
"What I like about this team, they are well paid players, they have their luxury, but they have motivation.
"It is not a big challenge for me to keep them fit until the end of May, they like to train, they like to practice. This is basic and I am very keen on this.
"They are real men who like to go and get in charge. One of the issues when you have big players is that you must discover if they have the will and the quality to work for each other, which is very important.
"They must help each other out, it is not just about nice work and nice goals, it is about the qualities your team has.”
Chelsea successfully clinched the trophy the last time they reached the FA Cup final. That was against Manchester United in 2007, in Jose Mourinho’s last managerial year with Chelsea.
Guus Hiddink could emulate former Chelsea boss Mourinho when he takes his side to face Everton on Saturday. The Dutch is said to leave the Blues at the end of the season.
Beware of Tim Howard
It surely wouldn’t be an easy battle for the 2007 FA Cup winners; Chelsea have drawn goalless against Everton both at the Bridge and at Goodison Park this season. It will be time for them to unlock Tim Howard’s gates to triumph on the day.
Howard broke Everton’s club record with a clean sheet on Saturday against Tottenham, and manager David
Moyes was full of praise for his goalkeeper:
"A 16th clean sheet, that is a club record and that is fantastic," said Moyes
"He has been fantastic, Tim Howard is a professional who works very hard at his game.
"But the record is also a compliment for the players in front of him. Good teams start with good platforms at the back and we have that.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper was the hero of the penalty shootouts against the Red Devils in the semis; can he repeat such a performance against the Chelsea.