Wembley Stadium hosts one of the most consequential FA Cup semi-finals in recent memory on Sunday, as a Chelsea side in the midst of a managerial transition takes on a Leeds United team buoyed by strong late-season Premier League form. Calum McFarlane, who previously served as interim head coach for two matches following Enzo Maresca’s departure, returns to the dugout following Liam Rosenior’s sacking and will attempt to guide Chelsea to their first FA Cup final since 2022.
Chelsea’s route to this stage has been notably kind in terms of opposition quality. The Blues eliminated Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham, and Port Vale — all lower-tier sides — scoring at least four goals in each of those four matches. Should they net four or more again on Sunday, they would become the first team in FA Cup history to score four or more goals in five consecutive matches in the competition. However, that attacking benchmark looks difficult to reach given Chelsea’s recent record against top-flight opposition: the Blues have failed to score in each of their last six matches against Premier League or equivalent-level European sides.
Leeds arrive at Wembley in markedly better shape. Daniel Farke’s side have recorded recent victories over Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, results that have eased their relegation concerns considerably. Their cup run has not been without difficulty — Leeds required penalty shootouts to advance in two of their four matches to reach this stage — but they enter Sunday unbeaten against Chelsea this season, having won 3-1 at Elland Road in December and drawn 2-2 after surrendering a two-goal lead to the Blues in February.
Historically, Chelsea hold a commanding record in FA Cup meetings with Leeds, having progressed on all six previous occasions the two clubs have met in the competition. Their most recent cup encounter came in the fifth round during the 2023-24 season, when Chelsea again advanced. Only Arsenal, with eight FA Cup eliminations of Leeds, have knocked the Yorkshire club out of the competition more frequently than the Blues.
On the injury front, Chelsea face a notable absentee in Estevao, who sustained a serious hamstring injury during last weekend’s loss to Manchester United. The winger joins a lengthy list of unavailable players that includes Reece James (thigh), Filip Jorgensen (groin), Levi Colwill (knee/fitness), Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (thigh), and Mykhaylo Mudryk, who remains suspended under a doping ban. McFarlane did deliver some positive news at his Friday press conference, confirming that both Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer had returned to training after thigh and hamstring complaints respectively.
Leeds have far fewer injury concerns. Anton Stach is the sole absentee, with the German midfielder managing an ankle issue that has also placed his involvement in the upcoming World Cup in doubt. Ao Tanaka, who appeared to pick up a knock during the match against Manchester United a fortnight ago, is available and has returned to the squad.
Possible starting lineups see Chelsea lining up with Sanchez in goal, a back four of Acheampong, Chalobah, Hato, and Cucurella, a midfield pairing of Fernandez and Caicedo, and an attacking line featuring Palmer, Pedro, Neto, and Delap. Leeds are expected to field Perri between the posts, with Struijk, Bijol, and Rodon in central defence, wing-backs Bogle and Gudmundsson, a midfield of Ampadu and Tanaka, and a front combination of Aaronson, Okafor, and Calvert-Lewin.
The stakes extend beyond a Wembley final place. For Chelsea, a positive result under McFarlane could help stabilise a squad that has experienced significant turbulence in the managerial department this season. For Leeds, victory would represent a major achievement for a side that has spent much of the campaign battling relegation pressures, and would mark a notable scalp given Chelsea’s superior resources. Both clubs’ FA Cup forms entering Sunday stand at four wins from four matches, making this semi-final evenly poised on paper despite the contrasting circumstances surrounding each camp.
