On Sunday afternoon, four days after the masterly Champions League victory over Atletico, Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge to host Sheffield United in the chase for the only remaining domestic trophy on our agenda. The Blades were the opponents in the Blues’ first ever FA Cup final appearance way back in April 1915.While it is catch-up weekend for some teams who have played fewer league games than Chelsea, London’s last FA Cup contestants are focused on securing win number 223 in the venerable old tournament.

The Blues are currently unbeaten in 14 games across all competitions and have not conceded a goal for 10 hours (a seventh successive shut-out would again equal the club record, set in 1905/06). The Blades have not kept a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge for 98 years and have not won there since 1992.

As impressive as recent progress under Thomas Tuchel has been, nothing can be taken for granted in the cup. The Yorkshiremen, under new management, could yet channel their relegation fears and emotion at Chris Wilder’s sacking into a redemptive charge to Wembley. It will take another great effort for Chelsea to reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the 25th time in our history.

Chelsea team news

No Chelsea manager has ever started their tenure at the Bridge with so many games undefeated as Thomas Tuchel, who is targeting a 14th without loss this weekend.

There appears more to the success than reorganising the defence or changing a few players’ positions. The iconic moments that followed Emerson sealing the 2-0 Champions League victory against Atletico demonstrated the team spirit that makes every footballer watching want to play for that team.

Three masked non-combatants huddled wildly in the empty East Stand, while Edou Mendy raced 100 yards to join the celebration with Emerson, who outside of the FA Cup, has now played one minute under the Bavarian. One goalscoring minute.Symbolically, three of Chelsea’s under-pressure summer signings had combined for the opener from Hakim Ziyech, who excelled after a difficult few months. His first goal at the Bridge even came from the Wizard’s less wand-like right foot.

Even stripped of five first-team regulars, there was sustained intensity and unshrinking courage reminiscent of previous successful Blues teams. Spanish TV channel Movistar reckoned having N’Golo Kante in such stunning form ‘is like having six players on the pitch’. Well, Census weekend is as good as any time to count how many Atletico players are still in the Frenchman’s pocket.

How many of this new ‘band of brothers’ is ready to start again just 87 hours later remains to be seen but Tuchel is likely to field a strong team. He has already experienced the levelling ability of this great competition – the 1-0 against Barnsley in the previous round was arguably his toughest game to date.

In any case, as Wednesday night exemplified, everyone in the whole squad has a part in this promising upturn, and the five substitutes rule allows some leeway in this competition.

Although Mendy has now saved 95 per cent of the shots he has faced in Europe, it is Kepa Arrizabalaga who has been ever-present in this domestic trophy-pursuit, along with Emerson, Billy Gilmour, Ziyech and Kurt Zouma.

Leading FA Cup marksman Tammy Abraham and Thiago Silva have been ruled out until after the internationals, but Andreas Christensen will hopefully have recovered from illness. Mason Mount and Jorginho will almost certainly return after their midweek suspension. Olivier Giroud stayed on the bench on Wednesday, but may receive the nod here.

Blades sharpener

Fresh voices will have been heard at Sheffield United’s training this week following the end of Chris Wilder’s five-year tenure. Paul Heckingbottom, who was head coach of Leeds for four months in 2018, is at the helm until the season’s end. The former defender led Hibernian before taking charge of the Blades’ development squad last summer. He has never faced a senior Chelsea team.

Their new first team coach is long-time Bournemouth assistant Jason Tindall, who succeeded Eddie Howe as number one after the Cherries’ relegation but left Dean Court in February. He sampled success at the Bridge on three occasions with the Blues’ bogey team, including their last visit in December 2019.

Heckingbottom’s involvement was delayed until Friday because of Covid testing protocol and Tindall joined after the weekend, so little can be taken from Sunday’s demoralising drubbing at Leicester.

Many players were emotional, skipper Billy Sharp describing the performance as, ‘Embarrassing, probably our worst performance for five years. When we concede a goal we look a completely different team.’

While Chelsea were involved in a draining Champions League tie, the new coaching staff at Bramall Lane have had a full, free week, and may view this as the ideal, pressure-free fixture to start the rebuild. Demotion is a near-certainty, but over the coming months the players and coaches can write their own CV.

One immediate tweak could be a move away from five at the back. Heckingbottom is a 4-2-3-1 man, while Tindall has used an attacking 4-3-3 as well as 3-4-3. Ethan Ampadu, one of their regular centre-backs, cannot play under the terms of his loan from Chelsea.

There were few personnel changes in Sunday’s 5-0 loss, with David McGoldrick (responsible for three goals in four games against the Blues) joining Sander Berge, John Egan, Jack O’Connell, Jack Rodwell and Jack Robinson in the treatment room. One fresh face was substitute Iliman Ndiaye, a 21-year-old number 10 making his debut.

The Blades have conceded in their past 21 away games in all competitions and have lost the last three. Their win-rates at home and on the road are both down by around 60 per cent compared to last season, the latter by slightly more.

How to watch Chelsea-Sheffield United

This match will be covered live by BBC One in the UK. To find out which broadcaster has the rights where you are elsewhere, look here.

As ever, Chelsea TV’s pre- and post-match shows can be found on the 5th Stand app, Facebook Live and the official YouTube channel.

When is the FA Cup semi-finals draw?

For those teams making it through, the draw for the last four, which takes place on Sunday during the half-time break in the Leicester-Manchester Utd match (kick-off 5pm), can be watched on BBC One, the FA Cup YouTube channel, Twitter and Facebook accounts, or on BT Sport 1.

The two semi-finals are scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 17 April, currently set aside for the league visit of Brighton, who are already out of the competition.

Blues and Blades in the cup

Sheffield United have never won or scored in three FA Cup meetings played at Stamford Bridge. The last cup tie was in round five at the Bridge in 1992, Chelsea homegrown Graham Stuart netting the only goal of the game.

The most famous was the only FA Cup final played in wartime, the so-called ‘Khaki final’ of April 1915, a 3-0 win for the Blades at Old Trafford. That remains their only success and sole occasion they have scored against the Pensioners in this competition.

FA Cup 2020/21 rules

There have been a few amendments to the rulebook for this season, most obviously the removal of all replays and the allowance of five substitutes, drawn from a bench of nine, in three batches excluding half-time. Concussion replacements are also permitted and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be in play.

If the match is all-square after 90 minutes, extra time will be played and, if necessary, penalty kicks will decide the outcome.

Blades coach’s Blues connection

New Sheffield United assistant coach Jason Tindall’s father Jimmy founded the famous east London youth team Senrab in 1961, and the new Blades’ assistant played for them himself. In the 1970s the grassroots club, reputedly watched by more scouts than parents, was where Chelsea’s most promising youngsters were placed to learn their trade.

Ray Wilkins and John Terry were among those who benefited from a football education at Senrab, but Tindall senior also nurtured youngsters at West Ham, including title-winning Blues signings Glen Johnson and Joe Cole.

League games this weekend

Chelsea were the only top-four side not to win last weekend but, happily, challengers West Ham, Everton and Tottenham all lost.

London’s highest-placed club have no league fixtures until after the international break, when relegation-haunted West Brom come calling. Four other top-eight clubs are on cup duty this weekend as Everton host City and Manchester United are at Leicester.

The Toffees, Hammers and Spurs all lost ground last weekend but have a game in hand over the Blues. Two of them have the chance to play their cards on Sunday: Moyes’ men host Arsenal while the Lilywhites travel to Villa.

Champions League next steps

A seven-year itch was scratched on Wednesday as Chelsea comprehensively beat Atletico 2-0, 3-0 on aggregate, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2014.The first leg win in Bucharest was the Blues’ first knockout tie triumph over the leaders of La Liga since the pulsating 4-2 against Barcelona in March 2005; never before have the Londoners beaten Spain’s table-toppers home and away.

The draws for the quarter- and semi-final ties will take place today (Friday) in Nyon from 11am UK time. There are no seedings, and clubs can be drawn against rivals from their own country.

The last-eight games will take place over successive midweeks, 6/7 and 13/14 April, and the semis on 27/28 April and 4/5 May. The final is on Saturday 29 May at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

A matchday must

A physical copy of this FA Cup quarter-final match programme can be bought online for £3.50 plus postage.

FA Cup quarter-final fixtures

SaturdayBournemouth v Southampton 12.15pm (BT Sport)Everton v Manchester City 5.30pm (BT Sport)

SundayChelsea v Sheffield United 1.30pm (BBC One)Leicester v Manchester United 5pm (BBC One)

Premier League fixtures

FridayFulham v Leeds 8pm (Sky Sports)

SaturdayBrighton v Newcastle 8pm (Sky Sports)

SundayWest Ham v Arsenal 3pm (Sky Sports)Aston Villa v Tottenham 7.30pm (Sky Sports)

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