Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti and Aston Villa’s Martin O’Neill face very different selection problems ahead of their teams’ meeting in the FA Cup semifinals today.
O’Neill is hoping central defender Richard Dunne and midfield lynchpin James Milner recover from Achilles’ problems to play at Wembley, while Ancelotti has too many in-form players to fit into Chelsea’s attack.
With leading scorer Didier Drogba set to start up front, Ancelotti has Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda all available for the two wide positions.
Premier League leader Chelsea beat Villa 7-1 two weeks ago, and that was with first-choice central defender Dunne in Villa’s lineup.
That result severely dented the Midlanders’ chances of qualifying for European competition and improved Chelsea’s goal difference in the fight with Manchester United and Arsenal for the Premier League title, but Ancelotti is taking nothing for granted.
“Martin O’Neill is a very good psychologist and a very good coach and they will play differently,” Ancelotti said. “We must forget that last game. We played very well but Saturday will be different.”
Villa only trailed 2-1 at halftime at Stamford Bridge following a 44th-minute penalty and the score was skewed by four goals in the last 28 minutes as the visitors tired.
“We conceded a couple of poor goals in the last half-hour of the game when it was effectively over,” O’Neill said. “It put a damning light on things.”
Dunne pulled out of training Thursday but Milner should start after he was rested for last weekend’s 1-0 win at Bolton.
“He feels a lot better and that is very encouraging,” O’Neill said. “It was last week that he was feeling a bit sore so we thought we would rest him up for the game at the Reebok Stadium.”
The Villa players have already lost one final this season and are anxious to make it to another and win the club’s first trophy since 1996.
Villa led Manchester United in February’s League Cup final before losing 2-1.
“The FA Cup itself has enough magic attached to it that to be contesting the semifinal, with the chance of getting to Wembley for the third time in the season, is incentive enough for us,” O’Neill said.
While Villa is struggling with injuries, however, Chelsea has already shown how it can play without key players.
Drogba, who scored in last year’s 2-1 final win over Everton and has 31 goals this season, was left on the bench for the team’s Premier League meeting, but Frank Lampard struck four goals and Malouda added two.
Tottenham and Portsmouth meet in the second semifinal tomorrow, with Portsmouth hoping to set up a shot at becoming the first club to win the cup and get relegated in the same season.
Middlesbrough reached the final in 1997 when it was demoted and, like Portsmouth, went down partly because of a points deduction.
Pompey is bottom of the Premier League and on the verge of relegation after its financial problems incurred the deduction of nine points.
Portsmouth’s 2008 FA Cup title was its first in 58 years and anticipated by only the most optimistic fans. A repeat would be near miraculous after the small south coast club sold most of its top players in an attempt to pay off huge debts.
With Portsmouth having lost twice to Spurs this season before being hit by its current rash of injuries and suspensions, Tottenham’s biggest problem as it aims for a first FA Cup final since 1991 may be complacency.
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