Frankly, no club has had an FA Cup weekend quite like the one Chelsea and our supporters are about to experience, with the men’s and women’s teams contesting finals on consecutive days at Wembley for the first time ever.

On Saturday, Thomas Tuchel’s side take on Liverpool, then on Sunday Emma Hayes’s WSL champions square up to Manchester City. Both matches are a repeat of this season’s League Cup finals, and as the Blues were beaten on each occasion, the atmosphere will be double-scented with revenge.

This is the third final appearance in succession for the Londoners’ men’s team, a feat no club has managed for almost two decades, and the second season in a row to stage the famous showpiece before the end of the Premier League season. Leicester, league visitors to Stamford Bridge on Thursday, edged Thomas Tuchel’s men in last season’s finale. Chelsea will be out to make sure Saturday is third time lucky.

The equally untraditional Saturday 4.45pm kick-off time fits around the BBC’s evening schedule, though back in the day the only ‘Pointless Celebrities’ were the showbiz stars on ‘FA Cup Final Mastermind’.

This will be the fourth meeting of the season between Liverpool and Chelsea, with the other three matches all ending level in open play, despite the Reds lifting the Carabao Cup trophy via penalties in February. Our only previous FA Cup final meeting came in 2012, when the Blues were in control thanks to goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba (of course). Andy Carroll pulled one back and was miraculously denied an equaliser by Petr Cech.

Chelsea are bidding to extend our trophy haul this season to three, having already secured the Super Cup and Club World Cup. Jurgen Klopp’s team could inherit our European crown in two weeks’ time to add to their Carabao Cup success. Last night’s north London derby result, which went the way of Tottenham, means one more league win will confirm third place and Champions League football next season Stamford Bridge. One point should be enough for fourth given our goal difference.

The current world champions have enjoyed a 107-year love affair with this prestigious competition, now in its 150th year, and were the first Football League side from London to reach the final in 1914/15.

Chelsea team news

‘We needed a performance like that,’ said a relieved Thomas Tuchel after a comprehensive win at Elland Road. The troubled air after the Wolves collapse had cleared and Chelsea put in the most focused and purposeful display since the victory at Real Madrid, characterised by slick, incisive approach play.

The Wednesday start for that game means 24 hours fewer to prepare than our opponents this weekend, but the players showed precisely the right mindset to take into a cup final. We have seen these young men fulfil their potential on the European and world stage, some growing from Cobham cubs to lion kings. But in domestic finals there is still something to prove. Cometh the hour, perhaps…

From being out of the side, Romelu Lukaku can take considerable momentum to Wembley, linking well with deeper-lying forwards Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic, dominating centre-backs and notching three times in two games. The Blues’ front three all found the net for the first time since the 6-0 at Southampton.

In the Carabao Cup final, the Belgian shook off Ibrahima Konate to score, only to be ruled offside by the VAR. He is the Blues’ leading scorer in this competition with three, while Mount and Timo Werner have both set up three.

The Blues created eight attempts on goal from set-plays during our Carabao Cup final meeting, all but two of them blocked before they could trouble the ’keeper.

The defending against Leeds also demonstrated concerted discipline and plenty of looking out for each other, with Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James a dynamic duo on the right. In fact it was the perfect night but for Dan James’ red-card tackle, one straight out of the brutal 1970 final playbook.

The resulting injury may rule out Mateo Kovacic, whose season had already suffered enough misfortune. Chelsea will hope N’Golo Kante is at least ready to return.

Women’s FA Cup final talking points

Contrary to reports, Jurgen Klopp is not the ‘first manager ever to reach the Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup in the same season’. That was the brilliant Emma Hayes last season, and she won two of those cups – as well as the league title.

The Chelsea Women stars earned their stripes by clinching the Women’s Super League again last weekend. The Blues’ third WSL crown in a row means we can complete back-to-back Doubles on Sunday, something the pioneering Chelsea Ladies first achieved way back in 1973/74 and 1974/75.

Blocking the way at Wembley is the last team to beat Emma Hayes’ side back in March in the Continental Cup final: Manchester City Women.

Both teams arrive at Wembley with breath-taking momentum. Chelsea have won 11 games in a row, including a week ago against the other Manchester club, United. City, steered by Gareth Taylor, have won 13 on the spin, securing third place and Champions League football next term.The champions have had the upper hand over City this season, winning home and away 5-0 on aggregate. The Blues also have the newly inscribed FWA Player of the Year Sam Kerr in our ranks. The Australia star has now racked up 20-plus goals across all competitions in consecutive seasons (a unique achievement), and her Golden Boot-winning tally of 20 in the WSL campaign is double that of City’s leading scorer Lauren Hemp (who was third in the FWA vote).

The Londoners, who reached Wembley by beating Arsenal, won last season’s 50th anniversary FA Cup competition by whacking the same side 3-0 in a final delayed until December. As a result, Hayes’ side are aiming for the distinction of lifting the same trophy twice in six months.

The coach has called her squad ‘mentality monsters’ but they were labouring against Man United on Sunday until the second-half introduction of Ji So-Yun, who dominated the ball and brought Guro Reiten, one of the players of the season, into play. This final could be the perfect swansong for the departing Korean, Drew Spence and Jonna Andersson, while Reece and Lauren James can become the first brother and sister to win the men’s and women’s cups.

City overcame a stumbling start to the campaign to win 21 of their last 23 fixtures across all competitions, including West Ham in the FA Cup semi-final. Taylor now has to decide whether the frontline will be led by Ellen White, another semi-final scorer, or incumbent Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, who now looks better suited to Taylor’s approach. Both netted against Reading last weekend.

This nicely poised final holds the prospect of some fascinating match-ups. In the absence of injured centre-back and skipper Steph Houghton, how will City’s Alanna Kennedy cope with her seemingly irrepressible Matildas teammate Kerr? Similarly, will fireball Erin Cuthbert be picked at right-back to nullify Hemp as she did in both WSL victories? Injury ruled the Scot out of the Conti Cup final, which the Mancunians won 3-1.

Most Women’s FA Cup finals

Arsenal 17Doncaster 13Southampton 10Croydon/Charlton 7Leasowe Pacific/Everton 6Chelsea 5St Helens 4Fulham 3Knowsley/Liverpool 3Man City 3QPR 3Friends of Fulham 3

Fabi-no?

Back in men’s football, as he wrestles with campaign conclusions on three fronts, Jurgen Klopp has been dealt a blow with the loss of the hamstrung Fabinho, the only member of his starting midfield in the Carabao Cup final not to be substituted.

He is their middleman for sensing danger and killing counter-attacks, and delivered accurate passes 92.6 per cent of the time while the more likely starter Naby Keita managed 79.4 and Jordan Henderson 69.7.

The Brazilian’s absence may raise the pressure on Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk to do the mopping-up. The astute Dutch centre-back recovers possession many times more than his team-mates.

Elsewhere Liverpool are evolving away from the old guard, especially at front and back. In attack it is now January signing Luis Diaz coming short to flick on corners rather than Roberto Firmino, and Ibrahima Konate who glides forward out of defence with the ball rather than Van Dijk.

They still operate with the same high defensive line, though, which has trapped Chelsea players offside 12 times over this season’s three previous encounters, with Kai Havertz and Romelu Lukaku the most snared.

Although Firmino is expected to be fit this weekend, it is likely Sadio Mane will continue his adopted role of centre-forward with Mo Salah on the right and the elusive Diaz left. The Senegalese, remember, was thwarted by a sensational double save from his international teammate Edou Mendy in the Carabao Cup final.

FA Cup final regulations

As has been the case throughout the campaign, both sides can make up to five substitutions during the match and a sixth should the game be tied at 90 minutes and go to extra time. The VAR system is in operation.

If an additional 30 minutes do not settle the outcome, a penalty shoot-out will follow. Penalty kicks were required to decide the Carabao Cup final between the same two sides back in February, the Reds winning 11-10 after goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, brought on at the end of extra time, fired his effort off target.

The finals countdown

Cesar Azpilicueta will become the first Chelsea player ever to appear in 13 major cup finals (including the Club World Cup) if selected this weekend. Petr Cech and Frank Lampard played in 12 of our previous 36 final, followed by Didier Drogba and John Terry on 10.

Major cup final goalscorers

Didier Drogba 9Peter Osgood 4Roberto Di Matteo 3Eden Hazard 3Diego Costa 2Kai Havertz 2Frank Lampard 2Bobby Tambling 2John Dempsey 1Olivier Giroud 1Peter Houseman 1Ian Hutchinson 1Branislav Ivanovic 1Mateja Kezman 1Romelu Lukaku 1Eddie McCreadie 1Eddie Newton 1Pedro 1Christian Pulisic 1Ramires 1Frank Sinclair 1John Terry 1Fernando Torres 1Terry Venables 1David Webb 1Gianfranco Zola 1Steven Gerrard (o.g.) 1Total 46

Stamford Bridge north

Chelsea have visited the new Wembley stadium three times more than Liverpool, although both clubs will be making their 41st appearance at all incarnations of the national stadium as a neutral venue this weekend. The Blues have won 22 of our previous 40 visits, the second-best win rate of any team to have played there more than 10 times, behind Nottingham Forest (seven of 11).

Cup appearances at new Wembley

Chelsea 27Manchester City 20Manchester United 18Arsenal 15Liverpool 9Tottenham 8Aston Villa 7Portsmouth 7

Tuchel targets record haul

When Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup, it was the third cup in 229 days to be won under Thomas Tuchel, the second quickest time to such a haul by any Blues coach after Gianluca Vialli’s 153-day spree in 1998. Victory on Saturday would clinch the fourth piece of silverware of the Bavarian’s tenure, just 350 days after the first.

Legends in yellow

When questioned ahead of the 1996/97 season how he felt about Chelsea reverting to a yellow change strip – the same livery as his national side, Romania – Dan Petrescu understandably predicted, ‘We will we be legends in yellow.’ The following spring he was part of the side that wore that kit several times en route to the FA Cup final, where we lifted the trophy for the first time in 27 years.

Despite being the nominal home team at Wembley, Chelsea will wear the yellow kit for the 12th time this season. So far we have won eight, drawn one (at Brighton) and lost two (to West Ham and Everton) in that garb.

Blue days

Never mind Eurovision, Chelsea fans can enjoy double vision over the next few days. Previous men’s and women’s teams from the same club have reached the respective FA Cup finals in one season (including the Blues, twice), but never over a two-day party weekend at Wembley. Oddly, both also reached the League Cup final, and faced the same opponents.

The women’s competition has reached its climax at the national stadium since 2014/15 (when the Blues first won it) but the two finals were played a fortnight apart, including in 2017/18 and 2018/19. The first club to achieve the feat were Southampton, for whom ex-Blue Peter Osgood played centre-forward.

Games people play

The cup final is match number 61 for Chelsea and 60 for Liverpool. Both will have played 63 games by the season’s close, some way short of the 69 matches completed by Chelsea in 2012/13 – a record for any club. Petr Cech played 5,655 minutes that season, while Branislav Ivanovic managed 4,991 – and still had enough in the tank to score the winner against Benfica in the Europa League final.