“Might be less enjoyable on the pitch” – Michael Owen warns Chesterfield by predicting emphatic scoreline for Chelsea clash

Former Premier League star Michael Owen feels Chelsea will comfortably beat Chesterfield in the third round of the FA Cup. Chelsea have been decimated by injuries and COVID-19, but a game against a team in the fifth tier of English football should be straightforward.

Owen said the chance to play against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will be special for the Chesterfield players. However, he predicted a thumping 5-0 win for Chelsea.

“What a story this is for non-league Chesterfield. I hope the club enjoys their day at Stamford Bridge. It might be less enjoyable on the pitch though. I can only see a comfortable win for last season’s beaten finalists. 5-0 Chelsea,” Owen said.

The Blues could rotate their squad and give their fringe players some playing time. Some of the bigger names could feature too as they seek match fitness and rhythm.

Chelsea’s patchy form heading into to the FA Cup tie

Although Chelsea last lost a game in early December, the Blues have drawn more games than they have won in their last nine outings.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have drawn five and won just four games across all competitions. Their patchy form in the Premier League has seen them lose ground on pace-setters Manchester City.

The Blues will look to score as many goals as they can against non-league opposition on Saturday, as some of their first-team players are expected to feature.

Tuchel revealed the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner could play against Chesterfield:

“Every game is a game for Romelu to start but we will take the decision in the morning – he is an option to start again,” said Tuchel on Friday.

“We need to see how the reaction was to the 90 minutes he played because it was very intense when we saw the data for him and the effort, which was very, very good. I will have a chat with him [Lukaku], a chat with the fitness guys and then we will decide.

“We want to use the match to get minutes into the guys who need it and want it, like Timo for example. But there are still one or two more Covid tests to do so hopefully the situation stays as it is. We will show a strong line-up, show respect to Chesterfield,” Tuchel added.

The Blues will be without the duo of Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante for the clash against Chesterfield, but should be able to field a pretty strong lineup nonetheless.