Di Matteo ready for ‘difficult’ decisions

Roberto di Matteo has confirmed he has tough selection decisions to make for Chelsea ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup Final with Liverpool (Liverpool 11/10, Chelsea 8/11 To Lift The Trophy with bet365).

Defensive duo David Luiz and Gary Cahill are both out of the Wembley showpiece with hamstring problems, but are still hopeful of making the Champions League final, and those two are the only missing players for the Italian manager.

Di Matteo admits it will be ‘difficult’ to disappoint some faces and leave them out, with a lot of competition in midfield and also the choice to make between Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba – two in-form forwards seemingly vying for one striking spot.

Chelsea are looking to win the trophy for a fourth time in six years and, for di Matteo, it would mean success in the competition as both a player and manager for the Blues (Liverpool 15/8, draw 9/4, Chelsea 6/4 90 Minutes Match Betting with bet365).

The interim manager has transformed Chelsea’s season since taking over from Andre Villas-Boas at the beginning of March and, despite admitting it would be tricky, he claims to be unafraid of making tough selection decisions.

“It’s a question of what is best for the team and if I feel it would be best for the team then I would do it but it all depends on what is our best team and formation to win the game tomorrow. I’ll take everything into consideration,” he said.

“What is important is the players still have the ambition to want to win another FA Cup. That’s very important motivation. It’s great for this club to be involved in another cup final. We’ve got a good tradition in this competition and hopefully we can continue this.”

Downing wants Blues revenge

Stewart Downing says he is ready to take revenge on Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo for breaking his heart as a kid when Liverpool face the Blues in the FA Cup final this weekend (Chelsea 8/11, Liverpool 11/10 FA Cup outright with bet365).

Downing was a 12-year-old Middlesbrough schoolboy when he took his place at Wembley for the 1997 FA Cup final between Boro and Chelsea.

Less than a minute was on the clock when Di Matteo scored one of the finest FA Cup final goals ever seen as Chelsea eventually went on to win the final 2-0.

Fifteen years on and Downing will line up against Chelsea in the FA Cup final, with the hero from ’97 Di Matteo in charge of the opposition.

Having already won one final at Wembley this year when beating Cardiff City on penalties in the Carling Cup final, Downing is looking to help Liverpool complete the domestic double.

The Reds have already beaten Chelsea twice this season in the Premier League and the Carling Cup but that was when the London outfit were under the control of Andre Villas-Boas.

With Di Matteo at the helm, Chelsea are on the verge of completing their own cup double having also reached the final of the Champions League.

Downing believes winning the FA Cup (Liverpool 15/8, Draw 9/4, Chelsea 6/4 Full Time Result with bet365) will help the Reds build for next season and claims that if they play to their full potential then they should get the better of Chelsea.

“If we keep performing the way we are and playing as well as we can, we can beat anyone on our day,” said Downing.

“We have won the Carling Cup and are in the final of the FA Cup. I think it has been a good season and I’m sure the manager is pleased with how it’s gone. We just have to keep building on it and then do better things next season.”

Gerrard eyes Cup catalyst

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes that victory in the FA Cup final on Saturday will help the club to achieve success next season (Liverpool 20/1 Premier League 2012/13 Outright – bet365).

The Reds had been expected to put up more of a challenge in the Premier League this season, following Kenny Dalglish’s return to the helm and the money spent on new players but have fallen woefully short.

The Reds are languishing in eighth place in the table with no chance of finishing in the top six and are in danger of finishing below Merseyside rivals Everton.

However, Liverpool have already secured the Carling Cup, beating Cardiff City on penalties in February, and have the chance to make it a domestic cup double when they take on Chelsea on Saturday (Liverpool 2/1, Draw 9/4, Chelsea 7/5 Match Betting – bet365).

“Winning big trophies breeds a lot of confidence and belief,” said Gerrard.

“We are all aware we have underachieved in the league and the squad of players we have are certainly better than where we are.

“We will assess the season at the end but if we can win two trophies that will help us bring some success next season.”

Chelsea saw their own hopes of a top-four finish take a massive blow following a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United but that was only their second defeat under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo, who has guided them through to the Champions League final – possibly their best chance of qualifying for next season’s competition.

Adam’s FA Cup blow for Reds

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has confirmed that midfielder Charlie Adam will miss the FA Cup final (Liverpool 5/4 To Win Outright with bet365) after being ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

Dalglish revealed his treatment room update on the Scotland international on Thursday when looking ahead to his side’s remaining games of the campaign.

The Reds are out of contention for the Champions League places following a dismal run of form which has seen them collect just three Premier League wins in 2012 to date.

They have already booked a Europa League spot courtesy of the Carling Cup win against Cardiff, while the target is more silverware when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 5.

However, Dalglish revealed that, while Adam does not need surgery on his knee injury, he will not be fit to feature at Wembley on Saturday week and he will also not be available for Great Britain’s Olympic team for this summer’s London Games (Team GB 11/2 To Win Outright with bet365).

“There is no operation needed but he won’t play this season,” said Dalglish.

“And I would think if they had any designs on having him in the Olympics he wouldn’t be fit for that either.”

Mata hoping for success

Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata is hoping victory in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Spurs will be the first success of many this summer at both club and international level (Spurs 13/8, draw 9/4, Chelsea 7/4 – Match Betting with bet365).

The Blues face Spurs at Wembley for a chance to meet Liverpool in the final in May after the Reds beat Everton on Saturday and Mata believes a win against Harry Redknapp’s men will give him and his team-mates a timely boost ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona on Wednesday.

The former Valencia man also has a number of international commitments to look forward to in the summer and strong performances in the upcoming matches should seal his place in Spain’s squad for Euro 2012. He is also likely to play a major role in his country’s attempt to win gold at the Olympics.

The 23-year-old (12/5 to score at any time against Spurs with bet365) says he is confident of success at both club and international level in the coming months but knows he can take nothing for granted, especially in the match against Tottenham.

“I want to win as much as I can – the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Euros and the Olympics – everything,” he told The Sun.

“This semi-final against Tottenham is huge for us.

“We’ve drawn both games against Tottenham in the league this season, so it will not be easy. They have many players at a great level. But so do we.”

Redknapp aiming to end Spurs drought

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says he is desperate to make sure Spurs end their 21-year wait to win the FA Cup again this season (Spurs 9/4 FA Cup outright with bet365).

The north London club head to Wembley on Sunday for a semi-final showdown with Chelsea on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Norwich.

Having been flying up until February, Tottenham’s season appears to be crumbling around them with Redknapp’s men winning just one of the last eight in the Premier League.

Having been in the title picture at one point Spurs find themselves in danger of falling out of the top four, with Chelsea just two points behind them heading into the final five matches.

This weekend’s clash is a chance to forget about their league troubles and book a place in the final of the FA Cup for the first time since they last won it in 1991.

Spurs are the favourites to win the trophy with bet365 but with Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton all in contention they will have to improve on recent displays.

Redknapp hopes his Tottenham players can rediscover some of their best form as he looks for his first piece of silverware as Spurs boss.

“It’s about time we won another trophy,” said Redknapp.

“This is a great opportunity for us to go all the way this year. On our day we can beat Chelsea. We can beat anyone.

“There is not a lot between the two teams, but they have the medals to show for it.”

Spurs are 6/4 to beat Chelsea on Sunday with bet365, while the Blues are 9/5 and the draw 12/5.

Torres eyes Wembley win

Chelsea (12/5 FA Cup Outright with bet365) striker Fernando Torres is relishing the prospect of playing at Wembley ahead of his side’s FA Cup semi-final clash with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The former Liverpool forward found himself on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline whilst playing for Spain against England at the home of the Three Lions in November last year and is looking to have a more enjoyable day this weekend.

Torres has continued to struggle for goals in the Premier League this season with the Stamford Bridge outfit but there are signs the 28-year-old is starting to get his confidence back.

The Spaniard is now looking to put the disappointment of that defeat to England behind him, as he gets set to take the hallowed turf at Wembley once again, this time against Spurs this weekend (Tottenham 6/4, draw 12/5, Chelsea 9/5 – Match Betting with bet365).

Torres told the club’s official website: “Wembley has so much history, English teams have a couple of chances every season to play there and it’s massive.

“All the players want to play in those games, it’s my fifth season in England but this is the first time

“I’m going there. It’s very exciting because we have the chance to reach the final in a London derby, so it will be very nice to be there and to play, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Gerrard ready for Liverpool battle

Steven Gerrard has called on his players for focus ahead of a ‘really tough’ match against Everton in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday but is confident Liverpool will book their place in the final (Liverpool 6/4, draw 9/4, Everton 15/8 – Match Betting with bet365).

The red half of Merseyside has endured a difficult run of late as their bid for European qualification has petered out, although they have stopped the run of defeats with four points picked up from the last two games.

Everton by contrast have enjoyed a terrific run, losing just two of the last 17 games to climb above Liverpool into seventh place in the Premier League table.

Ironically, one of those defeats came in a 3-0 drubbing at Anfield and Gerrard believes that Liverpool have the quality and character in the squad to inflict a third defeat of the season on their rivals.

“It’s another important game for us players, we need to try and forget it’s Everton and just focus on a really tough game on the day,” Gerrard said.

“We realise that it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves.

“There’s still one massive hurdle to get over before we can get to the final.

“We still believe we can beat anyone, Everton included.

“What we have to do is make sure we’re ready and focused and we concentrate on the game rather than the occasion.”

Gerrard scored a hat-trick in that recent defeat of Everton and is priced at 8/1 as the First/Last Goalscorer, 11/4 to score Anytime and 20/1 to Score Two or More Goals.

Ricketts eyes Wembley date

Bolton Wanderers defender Sam Ricketts is determined for his side to make a return to Wembley as they hope to book a place in the FA Cup semi-final with a win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday (Tottenham 1/3, draw 4/1, Bolton 8/1 – match odds with bet365).

The Trotters are a game away from making a return to the Home of Football, having reached the semi-finals of the competition last season only to be denied by eventual runners-up Stoke City.

Bolton make the trip to White Hart Lane on Tuesday hoping to get a result in the rearranged clash with Spurs (3/1 – FA Cup outright with bet365) after the first game was called off due to Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest before half-time.

Ricketts is hoping to get one over on the Lilywhites and make a welcomed return to the national stadium this season.

“Once we knew Fab was improving we couldn’t wait for the game so we could show our support for him,” he said.

“With the fantastic progress he is making, we have to use that as motivation to produce another performance. It would be fantastic if we could go back to Wembley and he came with us.”

Mignolet pays tribute to defenders

Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet has won plenty of praise this season, but the Belgian shot-stopper insists his team-mates deserve a share of the plaudits (FA Cup outright – Sunderland 9/1 with bet365).

Mignolet kept his 10th clean sheet in the win over Liverpool last time out and the Sunderland keeper has paid tribute to the defenders.

“It sounds obvious, but it’s always easier to win a game when you get a clean sheet,” Mignolet told the Sunderland Echo.

“You only need one goal to win the game.

“We’ve been very steady recently and we’ve got a lot of competition in the back four now when everyone is fit.

“That keeps everyone on their toes and has helped everyone to keep playing well. Hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Sunderland travel to Everton on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Mignolet will be eager for the Black Cats to produce another assured display at the back as they seek a spot in the last four (match betting – Everton 10/11, draw 12/5, Sunderland 16/5 with bet365).

The Wearsiders will be without Stephane Sessegnon and Lee Cattermole for the trip to Goodison Park, as the duo are serving suspensions after being sent off in the Tyne-Wear derby earlier this month.