The FA Cup returns this weekend as Chelsea travel to Wolves looking to press on in the only area they still have relative competition.
Going into the fifth round ties, pundits and fans alike have handed Antonio Conte’s side the Premier League title, with the west Londoners eight points clear of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in second place.

However, in taking on Paul Lambert’s Wolves this weekend, they face the side who knocked out Liverpool, at Anfield, in the round previous. Whilst Jurgen Klopp’s side were in a serious rut, having just been dumped out of the EFL Cup by Southampton, when the Championship side turned them over, it is still a warning sign that, on their day, Wolves can upset the odds.

Chelsea are unlikely to have faced opposition the like of Wolves, who will look to shut them out more than any Premier League team, this term. While it is clear that, with a full strength side, Conte can trust his players to break any team down, they will still need to be wary of the hosts.

However, should Chelsea get past their Championship opponents this weekend, you would then have to back them to go the whole way and take their first FA Cup since 2012.

Being in the quarter final, you would not bet against the Blues to beat anyone put in front of them, having already got one over all of the remaining Premier League teams in the competition.

Whilst their Premier League form has been astounding, many have put it largely down to their lack of European involvement. However, although this round may fall between European games, an FA Cup run cannot really be attributed to not having the distraction of either the Champions League or Europa League.

It is, of course, impossible to predict the course of the next few rounds on the way to a Wembley final. However, with a large portion of lower league opposition likely to pass through to the quarter final, a semi-final place should be the least of Antonio Conte’s ambitions.

The high number of teams from the football league and beyond remaining at this stage says a lot about the attitude of every single top flight clubs towards the oldest domestic competition in world football, however, offer any manager or player in the country the chance to add another FA Cup to their club’s trophy cabinet, and they will bite your hand off.

It may not be the competition it once was, however, a domestic double would be far beyond the estimations of any Chelsea fan at the start of this season, after their torrid time last season.