Ex-Chelsea striker Chris Sutton expects his former club to crash out of the FA Cup when they face Manchester City in the semi-final on Saturday evening.

Writing in his column for the BBC, Sutton has given credit to the Blues for their improved form in recent weeks but he thinks their opponents will have too much for them:

“Chelsea have shown a bit more consistency in the second half of the season with an eight-game unbeaten run in the league that has put them in the race for sixth place.”

“Pochettino will want a trophy to underline their improvement, but I think it will be City who progress. I am backing the holders to flex their muscles again, go again… and win this tie quite comfortably.”

Sutton has gone with a 3-0 win to City, which seems rather harsh considering that Mauricio Pochettino’s side drew both league games. For that reason, you would expect a more tightly-fought contest.

Chelsea will be underdogs

Even if we take into account recent results between the two teams, though,  the Blues are certainly not the favourites to progress to the final.

Their opponents are undoubtedly the stronger team, having picked up 26 more points in the Premier League this season. However, it is a one-off cup tie and it is the type of game which can spring a surprise.

City haven’t had too many days to prepare

After playing 120 minutes on Wednesday night in the Champions League, the Cityzens may have to make a fair number of changes to freshen up their team for the clash at Wembley.

Normally, if an opponent rotates their squad, you would say that it gives you a better chance of winning but the strength in depth that manager Pep Guardiola possesses means that may not necessarily be the case. Even so, Chelsea should have the advantage when it comes to fitness and stamina this weekend.