Chelsea host Championship club Hull City on Friday night with a chance to progress through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Antonio Conte will be looking for his side to build on their impressive 3-0 win against West Brom on Monday following a number of dismal results in the Premier League.
The home side needed a replay and penalties to overcome Norwich in the previous round, while the Tigers beat their fellow Championship counterparts, Nottingham Forest.
Ahead of their clash, here are five key things to look out for at Stamford Bridge:
#1 Main man to be rested?
Eden Hazard has been in blistering form for Chelsea in recent weeks despite a number of poor performances from the London club. The Belgian was the star of the show when he helped the Blues beat West Brom on Monday night and it is likely that Conte will rest his main man for the FA Cup game. After their encounter against the lowly-ranked Championship side, Chelsea will face their toughest test to date when they host Barcelona next Tuesday in the Champions League.
#2 Youngsters to start?
In the Premier League and the Champions League, opportunities for Chelsea’s youngsters have been hard to come by, but in domestic cup matches, a fair few of them have been given the chance to prove what they are worth. Academy duo, Ethan Ampadu, and Callum Hudson-Odoi are likely to feature on Friday. Both were not involved in Chelsea’s FA Youth Cup win over Tottenham on Tuesday which suggests that they will feature against Hull.
#3 Giroud or Morata?
Conte will have a number of big decisions to make in the next few weeks on whether to start his summer signing Alvaro Morata or his new January recruit Olivier Giroud. The latter started and played a key role in his team picking up all three points against the Albion at the start of the week, with Morata making a brief appearance from the bench following a back injury. It is likely that Conte will stick with Giroud but his biggest decision will come when Barcelona come to town.
#4 Palmieri to debut
The Chelsea supporters have yet to see defender Emerson Palmieri in action following his move from Roma last month. Conte confirmed that the former Serie A player, who can play at left wing-back, is ready to start on Friday with regular starter Marcos Alonso expected to be rested. If Palmieri can have the same impact that Alonso has had since his arrival last season then Chelsea will have a great player on their hands.
#5 Who plays in midfield?
It will be interesting to see if Conte mixes things up in the middle of the park, with the Barcelona encounter on the horizon. The ever-reliable N’Golo Kante could be rested, while the out-of-favour Danny Drinkwater will be looking for a rare start. Two players who will definitely miss the Hull game will be Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko. Both are currently injured so that could result in Conte either opting to start the experience of Cesc Fabregas or playing a youngster in midfield.