Thomas Tuchel has revealed that it is “Very likely” to be one of Romelu Lukaku or Kai Havertz who starts against Liverpool, rather than playing both forwards.
The Blues head coach is facing a bit of a selection headache ahead of Saturday afternoon’s FA Cup final with the Reds.
Havertz has been Chelsea’s main striker for the majority of the second half of the season, but there’s been a bit of a resurgence from Lukaku of late.
The 29-year-old striker was handed a rare Premier League start against Wolves last weekend and he marked his appearance with a double at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku was then given the nod by Tuchel for Wednesday evening’s 3-0 win against Leeds United, where he netted the final goal of the match at Elland Road. Havertz came on late against Wolves but was an unused substitute in the win at Leeds a few days ago.
One of the big questions going into Saturday’s final at Wembley is whether Tuchel starts Lukaku or Havertz, or even both.
The Chelsea head coach was asked about the subject in his pre-match press conference but refused to give too much away, understandably.
“Yes, we can also play both, although they lacked a bit of the feeling of being a perfect fit together,” Tuchel explained.
“Listen, Romelu played lately and scored lately. He did everything to stay on the pitch. Will be our final call in the morning.”
Chelsea have a poor recent record in FA Cup finals, with the Blues reaching four of the last five, but winning just once.
Tuchel was asked about the side’s struggles in this particular stage of this specific competition.
I can only say that last year was with me in the final against Leicester.
“First of all, it’s a big achievement to be in these finals and there has to be unfortunately a loser. In these finals, there is a special energy, a special atmosphere. There is a special momentum you have to catch and for sure, you need a piece of luck to go away with a trophy.”