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Barnsley vs Chelsea: Revived Blues expected to maintain momentum

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With Thomas Tuchel at the helm, consistency is the name of the game for west Londoners who are unbeaten under the new boss.

The latest fixture in the fifth knockout stage of the FA Cup features Barnsley playing host to Chelsea at Oakwell on Thursday night.

The hosts, who are without a win in 2021, will have to punch much above their weight tonight. However, they have had ample time to prepare for the upcoming game as a waterlogged pitch forced their meeting with Derby County to be called off last weekend.

As for the visitors, they have been on a resurgent run under their new manager who took over from club legend Frank Lampard near the end of last month.

Barnsley vs Chelsea Form:

The Tykes beat Tranmere Rovers 2-0 and Norwich City 1-0 to progress this far in the competition.

Valerien Ismael’s side were held to a 0-0 draw by Nottingham Forest last time out. Prior to that, they had recorded another draw – 2-2 with Cardiff City after squandering a two-goal lead.

The Blues overcame Morecambe and Luton Town in the previous two FA Cup rounds.

Thomas Tuchel’s in-form recorded a 2-1 win against Sheffield United in their previous fixture, extending their unbeaten run to four games under the new manager.

Barnsley vs Chelsea Head-to-head:

Only twice have the two teams met previously in the competition, and Barnsley have come out on top on both occasions.

Chelsea stormed to a 6-0 victory in the most recent encounter which came in the Football League Cup third-round last year.

Barnsley vs Chelsea Team News:

Thiago Silva, who suffered a thigh strain earlier this month, will miss the trip and so will Timo Werner, who is yet to recover from a dead leg.
Christian Pulisic, who missed the Sheffield United match due to personal reasons, meanwhile, returned to training and is expected to be available.

Ben Williams remains a long-term absentee while Aapo Halme and Liam Kitching are also out injured.

Predicted Line-ups:

Barnsley (4-3-3): Collins; Sibbick, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Mowatt, Palmer, Styles; Frieser, Woodrow, Adeboyejo

Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; James, Christensen, Zouma, Chilwell; Havertz, Kante, Gilmour; Ziyech, Abraham, Hudson-Odoi

Barnsley vs Chelsea Latest Odds:


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