Leaders Manchester United have not won the FA Cup since 2004. With the League almost settled and the Red Devils out of Europe, manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be giving his side all the motivation it needs to get past Chelsea in the upcoming match on Monday.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will be looking to defend its FA Cup title, seeking inspiration from its comeback at Old Trafford when the two sides last met. Chelsea were two goals down and it took the Spaniard Juan Mata to lead the Chelsea attack in order to survive in the competition.
What Chelsea will not be hoping for, though, is the match going down to penalties. Chelsea has a patchy history when it comes to penalties in major competitions, and Rafa Benitez would not like to take his chances in this encounter.
The 2008 penalty shoot-out loss to Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final on that rainy night is a memory no Chelsea fan is fond of. John Terry’s slip while taking his kick meant that all the hard work that had gone into that European campaign literally went down the drain. It was Chelsea’s fourth consecutive penalty shoot-out loss in a major competition, and it was followed by yet another loss, this time to a much weaker opposition in Burnley, in a League Cup game the same year.
The next five shoot-outs over the course of four years, however, were a bit better, with the Londoners winning three. This included the famous win in the UEFA Champions League final against the German side Bayern Munich, in which Didier Drogba’s final kick for Chelsea sealed its first UEFA Champions League victory.
On the other side is Manchester United led by its inspirational manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The side also boasts renowned penalty takers such as Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick.
To top it all, United is oozing with confidence, with yet another Premier League most likely to go in the trophy cabinet.
Confidence might be something lacking in United’s rivals from London, and the Manchester club will be hopeful to capitalize on this if the matter goes towards a shoot-out. Every time a player will walk towards the ball, the crowd will remember the UEFA Champions League final of 2008, and this is likely to play on the minds of the Chelsea players.
United’s Van Persie has said that fans might not be able to witness a highly energized encounter on Monday, which mean that the matter could very well come a to a penalty shoot-out at the end.
Although many fans argue that a penalty shoot-out is nothing more than a lottery that decides the fate of a match, and sometimes an entire competition, few would deny that it is one of the most exciting moments in football and gets everyone hooked to the field.
Chelsea, however, would do itself a favor by denying its fans with this sort of excitement. What actually happens remains to be seen.
What Chelsea will not be hoping for, though, is the match going down to penalties. Chelsea has a patchy history when it comes to penalties in major competitions, and Rafa Benitez would not like to take his chances in this encounter.
The 2008 penalty shoot-out loss to Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final on that rainy night is a memory no Chelsea fan is fond of. John Terry’s slip while taking his kick meant that all the hard work that had gone into that European campaign literally went down the drain. It was Chelsea’s fourth consecutive penalty shoot-out loss in a major competition, and it was followed by yet another loss, this time to a much weaker opposition in Burnley, in a League Cup game the same year.
The next five shoot-outs over the course of four years, however, were a bit better, with the Londoners winning three. This included the famous win in the UEFA Champions League final against the German side Bayern Munich, in which Didier Drogba’s final kick for Chelsea sealed its first UEFA Champions League victory.
On the other side is Manchester United led by its inspirational manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The side also boasts renowned penalty takers such as Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick.
To top it all, United is oozing with confidence, with yet another Premier League most likely to go in the trophy cabinet.
Confidence might be something lacking in United’s rivals from London, and the Manchester club will be hopeful to capitalize on this if the matter goes towards a shoot-out. Every time a player will walk towards the ball, the crowd will remember the UEFA Champions League final of 2008, and this is likely to play on the minds of the Chelsea players.
United’s Van Persie has said that fans might not be able to witness a highly energized encounter on Monday, which mean that the matter could very well come a to a penalty shoot-out at the end.
Although many fans argue that a penalty shoot-out is nothing more than a lottery that decides the fate of a match, and sometimes an entire competition, few would deny that it is one of the most exciting moments in football and gets everyone hooked to the field.
Chelsea, however, would do itself a favor by denying its fans with this sort of excitement. What actually happens remains to be seen.
