Chelsea Form
London side had to work extremely hard to get past their opponent in the previous round, even though it was a Championship club. Extra time was needed to beat Wrexham at their ground – 2:2, AET 4:2. Before that, however, Chelsea also thrashed two lower-league opponents away from home by four goals. It is also worth noting that Chelsea matches in the FA Cup have been very high-scoring, with at least three goals scored in each of the previous five games. If they can come through this round, the Blues will reach the semi-finals of this cup for the second time in three seasons.
- The Londoners scored at least two goals in seven of their previous nine matches in this tournament.
- Four or more goals were scored in seven of Chelsea’s last nine FA Cup games.
- At home, the team have gone 14 straight FA Cup matches without defeat (12 wins and two draws).
Potential Chelsea Lineup (3-4-2-1)*
Robert Sanchez – Mamadou Sarr, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo – Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong – Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto – Liam Delap.
Defenders Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah are out injured. Midfielder Jamie Gittens, defender Reece James and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen are all doubts for the match.
Port Vale Form
Port Vale, who play in England’s third tier, have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since the 1953/54 season. In the previous round, the club beat Sunderland 1:0. Incidentally, the last time Port Vale knocked out a Premier League opponent in this tournament was in 1996. It is also worth noting that in the current campaign the team have recorded three wins and one draw in 90 minutes (all matches were played at their own stadium), while conceding no goals at all.
- The team avoided defeat in eight of their previous nine FA Cup matches (four wins and four draws).
- No more than two goals were scored in seven of Port Vale’s last nine matches in this cup.
- Away from home in this competition, the club have avoided defeat in six of their previous seven matches in the tournament (four wins and two draws).
Potential Port Vale Lineup (5-4-1)*
Joe Gauci – Liam Gordon, Kyle Jones, Cameron Humphreys, Connor Hall, Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel – Funso Ojo, Rhys Walters, Ethan Archer, Ben Waine – Dajon Brown.
Who Will Referee the Match
Farai Hallam (England)
Matches – 6 (the Premier League and English cups, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 19;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.2;
Red cards shown – 0;
Fouls per match on average – 21;
Penalties – 0%.
* For each team, the starting XI from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
