Chelsea host fourth-tier Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Saturday aiming to get back on track.
Enzo Maresca’s side had a tough festive period in the Premier League, going four games without a win as they slipped from likely title contenders to top four hopefuls. Still, it’s been a much better season than most expected so far for the Blues and the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella have been consistently excellent. Chelsea will likely play their UEFA Conference League team and rest plenty of stars for this FA Cup game, but Maresca still has so many talented players to call on and plenty of them now have a chance of getting into the first team.
Meanwhile Morecambe are in a totally different situation as they sit second from bottom in League Two and are in the relegation zone. The Shrimps are in serious danger of being relegated out of the Football League and are four points from safety. But they have won two of their last three games to drag themselves closer towards safety. This will be a great day out for Morecambe’s players and fans and manager Derek Adams will be hoping a positive performance can give them fuel to help their bid for League Two survival.
How to watch Chelsea vs Morecambe live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday (January 11)
Venue: Stamford Bridge — London
TV Channel/Streaming: ESPN+
Chelsea team news, focus
Losing Wesley Fofana to injury is a big blow and Chelsea’s defensive unit doesn’t look as solid when he’s out. Romeo Lavia has been missing in recent weeks which is a blow to their defensive structure too. Maresca will start the likes of Nkunku, Madueke, Felix, Tosin, Veiga, Jorgensen, Disasi and Guiu which is a ridiculous set of players to have as a ‘reserve squad’ for cup games like this. Club captain Reece James may also get a run-out as he continues to make his return from injury.
OUT: Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Benoit Badiashile (undisclosed), Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (knock), Omari Kellyman (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Romeo Lavia (undisclosed), Carney Chukwuemeka (illness)
Morecambe team news, focus
A couple of Morecambe players to look out for include forwards Hallam Hope and Ben Tollitt, while central defender Rhys Williams is on loan from Liverpool and will be key if they can limit Chelsea’s chances. Morecambe keep things tight and don’t concede many goals, but they are the fourth-lowest scorers in League Two with just 22 goals in 24 games so far this season.
Chelsea vs Morecambe prediction
This should be a very straightforward win for whichever team Chelsea puts out there. Plenty of players have a chance of getting into Maresca’s first team given Chelsea’s recent results and they’ll be looking to prove a point. Chelsea 5-0 Morecambe.
