Chelsea begin their campaign in this season’s FA Cup as they face League Two side Morecambe in the third round on Saturday. The Blues are looking to put their recent struggles behind them and should be too strong for the Shrimps.
The Blues can do with some distraction from their recent struggles as they are winless in their last four matches in all competitions. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace in a Premier League fixture last weekend.
Despite losing 2-1 to Fulham, Chelsea have been pretty solid at home this season and are unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 matches at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca’s men have earned a few dominant wins in that run like the 5-1 win over Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League.
Morecambe have been comfortable in the FA Cup as they beat Bradford City 1-0 last time out to reach the third round. However, Saturday’s clash represents a tall order for Derek Adams’ team, who travel to Stamford Bridge with five defeats in their last seven matches in all competitions.
A 2-0 victory over Tranmere Rovers in their last League Two fixture will give Morecambe some confidence ahead of Saturday’s match. However, they have lost two of their last three away matches, failing to score in both defeats.
How the bookies view it: Blues overwhelming favourites
Chelsea have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 1/40 by BoyleSports to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Morecambe is valued at 40/1 while BoyleSports is also offering odds of 20/1 for a draw.
Head to Head: Only one meeting.
There has been only one previous meeting between Chelsea and Morecambe, with the Blues claiming a 4-0 victory in the third round of the FA Cup back in 2021.
Players to watch: Nkunku to star
Christopher Nkunku has delivered for Chelsea when called upon this season, scoring 12 goals across all competitions so far. The French striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Saturday at 8/13 by BoyleSports.
Chelsea are unlikely to be troubled at the back by a League Two side and will be targeting a clean sheet. Benoit Badiashile and Joshua Acheampong should partner in central defence and can lead the blues to a clean sheet at 1/2 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Chelsea are expected to give their fringe players a run-out on Saturday with the likes of Nkunku, Joao Pedro and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall expected to feature. Filip Jorgensen should start in goal while Marc Guiu could also earn a place in the team.
Having been well rested since their clash on New Year’s Day, Morecambe could name a similar line-up on Saturday. Marcus Dackers should lead the line while Jamie Slott and Rhys Williams should continue their partnership in central defence.
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Veiga, Badiashile, Acheampong, Disasi, Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Nkunku, Felix, Guiu
Morecambe: Burgoyne, Hendrie, Williams, Slott, Tutonda, Jones, White, Edwards, Songo’o, Tollitt, Dackers
Anything else catch the eye?
Chelsea will look to boost their confidence with an emphatic win and given the result against Shamrock Rovers, a winning margin of 4 or more goals can be considered at 8/11 with BoyleSports. With a result like that expected, a -3 handicap could be on the cards at 8/11 with BoyleSports.
Chelsea are likely to be comfortably in front at the break, so a -1 halftime handicap is expected on Saturday at 5/6 with BoyleSports.
This FA Cup match between Chelsea and Morecambe will be played on Jan 11, 2025 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Morecambe prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
