Event of the Day: Chelsea versus Manchester United
Our event of the day is the massive FA Cup fifth round tie between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. With both sides currently jostling for a top four place in the Premier League, today they will battle it out for a spot in the sixth round of this prestigious tournament. This is a repeat of last year’s final, on which occasion the Blues came out on top to notch their eighth FA Cup trophy, courtesy of a first half Eden Hazard penalty. However, only Arsenal have won the competition more times than United since its introduction in 1871 and the Red Devils will be desperate to lift the trophy for the 13th time this year. The holders faced lower-league opposition in both the third and fourth round this season, and will face the trickiest test of their FA Cup campaign thus far tonight. In the third round, they overcame Nottingham Forest by two goals to nil, thanks to a brace by Alvaro Morata. Their ticket to the fifth round was then booked with considerable comfort as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 in the fourth round. Having already secured their place in the Carabao Cup final later this month, Maurizio Sarri will be keen to put together another successful cup run in this competition, as he looks to prove the doubters wrong who are questioning his Chelsea reign.
United are no strangers to success in the FA Cup, having won the competition 12 times throughout their illustrious history. Their last title came in the 2015/16 season after beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the final and caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be desperate to repeat the success of that season to notch his first trophy at the United helm. They have faced a significantly harder run to the fifth round than tonight’s opponents, having to overcome Arsenal in the last round, after taking on Reading at Old Trafford in the third round. However, Solskjaer’s side made light work of Unai Emery’s Arsenal, winning 3-1 at the Emirates and they will be looking for another Premier League scalp in tonight’s tie. Both sides have appeared in two of the last three FA Cup finals but there will be no room for both of them this time round and something will have to give in this titanic clash of two Premier League giants.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NHL, where the San Jose Sharks are hosting the Boston Bruins at the SAP Center. With both sides in the hunt for playoff places, this promises to be a breathless encounter, with the Bruins looking to notch their sixth straight win. There is also action in the Bundesliga tonight, where Nuremburg take on league leaders Borussia Dortmund, who will look to bounce back from their unfruitful trip to Wembley in midweek, where they lost 3-0 to Tottenham. In the tennis, Day 1 of the Delray Beach Open takes place where some of the world’s best talent will look to knock Frances Tiafoe off of his perch, with the American looking to retain his title. There is also plenty of action in women’s cricket today as the T20 World Cup qualifiers continue, with Thailand facing China and Kuwait doing battle with Malaysia.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Chelsea: Manchester United