Chelsea vs. Port Vale—FA Cup Quarterfinal: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Chelsea are welcomed back from the March international break with an FA Cup quarterfinal tie against Port Vale on Saturday evening.

Liam Rosenior undoubtedly would’ve welcomed the respite after a chastening couple of weeks in west London. The Blues exited the Champions League with a whimper to holders Paris Saint-Germain, and lost further ground in the top-five race by losing at Everton.

The pressure is ramping up on the relatively inexperienced manager, who’s been mocked by former teammates and had two of his most influential squad members question the club’s decision to part ways with his predecessor, Enzo Maresca.

Nevertheless, it’d take a mammoth upset for Chelsea to succumb this weekend. While Port Vale beat Sunderland 1–0 to reach this stage of the competition, they remain at the foot of the third tier. Since slaying the Black Cats, Saturday’s visitors have lost three of their four league outings.

Last week, Wycombe Wanderers put them to the sword in a 4–0 drubbing.

Chelsea vs. Port Vale Score Prediction

Blues Avoid Almighty Upset

Liam Rosenior is feeling the heat. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

BlueCo surely intend to commit to Rosenior until the end of the season, even if Chelsea were slumping before the break. The respite has at least offered the manager a chance to recalibrate, and a beatdown of distinctly inferior opposition could be exactly what the doctor ordered ahead of a decisive run of Premier League fixtures.

The FA Cup is their only chance of claiming silverware this term, having enjoyed Conference League glory last term. This is a fanbase that demands success, no matter how poorly the team’s performing, and defeat on Saturday could be fatal for the current regime.

Port Vale are destined for League Two, and are competing in just their second ever FA Cup quarterfinal.

Chelsea’s Record vs. EFL Opponents: The Blues have exited the FA Cup at the hands of a team competing in the English Football League (EFL) just twice in the 21st century—Barnsley in 2008 and Bradford City in 2015.
Road to Quarterfinals: To get here, Chelsea have beaten three teams that are currently competing in the Championship. They haven’t yet let complacency get in their way, completing professional jobs to bypass Charlton Athletic and Hull City, before holding their nerve in the fifth round at Wrexham.
Chelsea’s Home FA Cup Record: Since losing 4–2 to Bradford 11 years ago, the Blues have lost just one FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge—2–0 to Manchester United in 2019.

Prediction: Chelsea 3–0 Port Vale

Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Port Vale

Estêvão should be back in the Chelsea lineup. | FotMob

Enzo Fernández has been ruled out by Rosenior after openly flirting with the idea of living in Madrid—Real and Atlético have both been linked—and Chelsea’s vice-captain will also play no part in the upcoming game with Manchester City.

The Blues suffered a pair of defensive injury setbacks before the international break, with Trevoh Chalobah picking up an ankle issue in the home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain that’ll see him miss a considerable chunk of the season that remains.

Captain Reece James is nursing another hamstring injury that saw him miss the recent internationals, but the influential fullback-cum-midfielder should be back in action later this month. Levi Colwill also remains out, but Benoît Badiashile has recovered from an illness and could feature in Rosenior’s defense.

Estêvão should be ready to come back into the starting lineup, having returned from his injury before the break. Jamie Gittens suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring problem last month, but could be available again this weekend.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Port Vale (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Acheampong, Fofana, Badiashile, Cucurella; Lavia, Essugo; Neto, Estêvão, Garnacho; Delap.

Port Vale Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Port Vale lineup — Brady has a big decision to make about Ben Waine. | FotMob

The visitors aren‘t believed to have any fresh fitness concerns, with long-term absentees George Byers and Ben Heneghan likely to be the only players sidelined at Stamford Bridge.

Jon Brady will almost certainly opt for a 5-4-1 defensive block and aim to trouble Chelsea in transition. The match-winner from the fifth round, Ben Waine, was called up to the New Zealand squad to replace Chris Wood at the end of March, and scored in a 4–1 victory over Chile.

Waine’s lengthy trip may limit his minutes on Saturday, with a cameo off the bench most likely.

Port Vale predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-3-3): Gauci; Gabriel, John, Humphreys, C. Hall, Headley; Shipley, Ojo, Garrity, Archer; G. Hall.

What Time Does Chelsea vs. Port Vale Kick Off?

Location: London, England
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Date: Saturday, April 4
Kick-off Time: 5:15 p.m. GMT / 12:15 p.m. ET / 9:15 a.m. PT
Referee: Farai Hallam
VAR: Neil Davies

How to Watch Chelsea vs. Port Vale on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Strean
United States	ESPN Select, fuboTV, ESPN App
United Kingdom	BBC Sport Web, BBC One, TNT Sports 1, BBC iPlayer, TNT Sports Ultimate, HBO Max
Canada	Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Plus, Sportsnet 360
Mexico	Max Mexico

MORE: Full list of FA Cup broadcasters around the world