Chelsea vs. Manchester City – FA Cup, April 17, 2021

Pep Guardiola’s men will aim to keep their quadruple dreams alive when they face Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, April 17.

Both Manchester City and Chelsea qualified for the last four of the Champions League in midweek, although it is worth remembering that Man City currently boasts a 20-point lead over the Blues in the EPL.

After looking at the odds, I will share my Chelsea vs. Manchester City FA Cup semi-final prediction and pick.

Did you really expect anything else here?

Yes, Chelsea (4.60) has made vast improvements under Thomas Tuchel. But there is absolutely no denying that Man City (1.80) is the deserved favorite to win this semi-final.

Given that we could see extra time and penalties on Saturday, the tasty price for the draw could attract some attention.

Chelsea’s route to the FA Cup semi-finals:

As you can see, Chelsea has enjoyed a relatively straightforward run to the last four of the FA Cup. The only Premier League opponent that Chelsea has faced is Sheff Utd – and they will almost certainly be a Championship team next season.

The Blues suffered just their second defeat in 18 games under Tuchel in midweek, losing 1-0 to Porto. However, they qualified for the UCL semi-finals thanks to a 2-0 victory in the first leg.

Since replacing Frank Lampard in the Stamford Bridge hot seat back in January, Tuchel has transformed Chelsea into a seriously strong side. Not only has the German coach given the Blues a new lease of life in attack, but he has also made them extremely tough to break down.

In fact, the Londoners have kept a whopping 13 clean sheets in 18 matches since Tuchel took charge – giving them a shout percentage of 72%.

Of course, preventing Man City from scoring won’t be easy, although Chelsea will be confident of giving Guardiola’s men a run for their money.

Manchester City’s route to the FA Cup semi-finals:

The Cityzens’ route to the semi-finals has been a little trickier, yet they have still made light work of their FA Cup opponents this season.

It’s safe to say that Man City’s FA Cup campaign mirrors their 2020/21 season. Guardiola’s men have been almost unstoppable this term, so it is hardly surprising that all the leading online sportsbooks view them as favorites to win the FA Cup this year.

City came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday, securing a 4-2 aggregate win over the German club. Guardiola’s men are now just three wins away from Champions League glory, but all their focus will be on the FA Cup this weekend.

Man City claimed a 3-1 victory over Chelsea back in January, although a lot has changed since then. Still, the Cityzens remain 11 points clear at the top of the EPL table and have only lost four of their 32 league games this season.

Having bagged 13 goals and nine assists this term, as well as scoring in both games against Dortmund, many believe that 20-year-old sensation Phil Foden holds the key to City’s FA Cup success.

The Blues have obviously upped their game since Tuchel arrived at the club, but they still have a long way to go before they get to Man City’s level.

I can see Chelsea pushing City all the way on Saturday. However, I’m confident that Guardiola’s side possesses enough attacking firepower to penetrate Chelsea’s resolute backline.