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Chelsea are set to take on Luton Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday. While on paper this looks like a straightforward fixture, this year's FA Cup has been full of upsets.
Championship side Nottingham Forest defeated Arsenal and Leicester City in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Manchester United were eliminated by Middlesbrough on penalties in the fourth round. Chelsea themselves needed extra time to secure a victory in the fourth round against Plymouth.
Former Liverpool player Mark Lawrenson made his prediction for the match between the Blues and Luton on BBC. He said:
"Luton have had a brilliant February, winning five out of six games in the Championship, and they are up in the play-off places after beating Derby on Saturday. When you consider Luton's wage bill and budget compared to some of the other teams in that division, you can see what a brilliant job Nathan Jones is doing there as manager. I love it when clubs punch above their weight like that, but it is asking an awful lot for Luton to do it again with an upset here."
He added:
"Chelsea could easily have won the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, and I just feel they will be too strong for the Hatters even if Blues boss Thomas Tuchel rotates his squad. Chelsea beat Luton at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round last season, on their way to the final. There's a different venue this time, but I'm going for the same outcome."
He predicted a 1-2 scoreline in favor of the Blues.
Chelsea could rotate squad in the FA Cup after a grueling Carabao Cup final
The Blues played out an intense Carabao Cup final against Liverpool that went into penalties. The London club eventually lost the shootout 11-10 with the match taking a lot out of both teams.
It was an end-to-end affair that saw many players fatigued even after 90 minutes and go on to play extra time as well. Hence, manager Thomas Tuchel could rotate his squad against Luton Town in the FA Cup.
We could see the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Saul Niguez and Callum Hudson-Odoi starting the match on Wednesday. However, the Blues will have to be careful not to underestimate their opponents. They would like to avoid being another name on the upsets list for this year's FA Cup.
