Ian Wright backs Manchester City to beat Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup
Ian Wright believes Manchester City will come out victorious in their semi-final clash with Chelsea in the FA Cup. The former Arsenal striker has warned Pep Guardiola's men to be 'afraid' of the Blues.
Manchester City will take on an in-form Chelsea in the first semi-final of the FA Cup while Leicester City take on Southampton in the second fixture.
Manchester City are currently the team to beat in Europe and Pep Guardiola's side are well on their way to winning four trophies this season. City are fourteen points ahead of Manchester United in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola's side have also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they will face an out-of-form Dortmund side. The Cityzens will also play Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup final on April 25.
They will, however, face a Chelsea side that are yet to lose under Thomas Tuchel. The Blues have gone thirteen games unbeaten under the German, and have managed to keep eleven clean sheets in that stretch.
Chelsea will be on a high after thumping Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate in the round of 16 stage of the Champions League. The Blues have also continued their ascent up the Premier League table and are currently in fourth place.
Ian Wright has, however, backed Manchester City to beat Chelsea when the two sides meet in the FA Cup, but has warned Pep Guardiola's side against complacency.
"You feel under this manager, Ziyech the other day, the way he was. Mason Mount is never going to drop. He's an 8/10 performer. N'Golo Kante playing like he plays. You think to yourself these players start to really connect, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and they get the striker nicking those goals, then City should be afraid," said Wright to Metro.
Chelsea could be the team to stop Manchester City from winning the domestic treble this season
Under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea look like they have the capacity to beat any team in Europe. The Blues defense was one of their biggest concerns under Frank Lampard but Chelsea have shown vast improvement in that respect under Tuchel.
The Blues also possess the pace and directness that Manchester City struggle to cope with at times, and therefore the Blues stand a decent chance of beating Pep Guardiola's side. Nonetheless, Ian Wright has backed Manchester City to continue their march towards the FA Cup crown.
"But the way City are playing with their free-flowing football. You go into that game and City can have five or ten minutes and it's over. Chelsea, you feel like they could do what they do, play the ball up in the final third, they can't afford to continue to miss chances," said Ian Wright.
"As much as Chelsea are doing great stuff, City and what they're doing, this time here is their best time since he's been there. They can probably go on to win the Champions League, if I'm being totally honest, if he has that talk with them, it could be this one," signed off the Arsenal legend.