A place in the final of the Emirates FA Cup awaits the winners of Sunday’s thrilling last four clash between Leeds United and rivals Chelsea.
The Whites will be aiming to reach the showpiece event of the prestigious competition for the first time since 1973 with a victory over the Blues at Wembley Stadium.
Daniel Farke’s side go into the clash in fine form, unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions and having taken seven points from their previous three outings in the Premier League.
After crucial victories over Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, a last-gasp Sean Longstaff equaliser salvaged a point on the south coast against AFC Bournemouth during the week.
United’s journey to the semi-final began with a professional 3-1 triumph over Sky Bet Championship outfit Derby County in January.
Further second tier opposition came in the form of Birmingham City and Norwich City though the Whites progressed, firstly on penalties in the Midlands before cruising past the Canaries with a 3-0 Elland Road success.
In the last eight, the Whites were forced to another shootout despite leading 2-0 in normal time, allowing goalkeeper Lucas Perri to be the hero as he made to vital saves to lead his team to victory.
Leeds have come up against Chelsea twice already in league action this campaign, taking four points from the Londoners which began with a dominant 3-1 win on home soil.
Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka put the Whites in the driving seat before the break with Dominic Calvert-Lewin making sure of the result before full-time whistle.
In the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge, Farke’s men fought from two goals down to earn a draw as Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor were on target in the capital.
Whilst it is 53 years since Leeds featured in the tournament’s final, the club do have an illustrious history in the FA Cup, having won the centenary edition of the competition in 1972 courtesy of Allan Clarke’s famous winner against Arsenal.
The Blues’ path to the semi-final began with a victory at Charlton, before beating Hull City, Wrexham and Port Vale to reach the last four.
Leeds United will wear their home white shirts, white shorts and blue socks, due to a kit clash with the opposition team’s socks and similar to the visit to Stamford Bridge.
Action from Wembley Stadium gets underway at 3pm.
Perri the shootout hero!
Lucas Perri: We can do it
“As a whole, I believe this is a great opportunity for the club to be back in the semi-finals after a long period of time so in general it is a good feeling! It is incredible for the club. It will be an amazing feeling and we are looking forward to it.”
“They have incredible players. We are going to have a difficult match but we can do it. Everything is possible in football so we have to believe.” Read more HERE.
Team News:
Farke began his press conference by saying Ilia Gruev will miss the remainder of the season due to a meniscus injury. Sebastiaan Bornauw and Jayden Bogle have slight knocks but are expected to feature. Anton Stach hasn’t returned to team training yet however the boss is hopeful to have the midfielder available.
How to follow:
Monthly audio subscribers around the world can listen to every minute of Sunday’s fixture LIVE on LUTV. Bryn Law will be joined by Tony Dorigo on commentary. Pre-match build up begins at 2:30pm with Michael Bridges and Dom Matteo in the studio! The match has also been selected for television coverage in the UK by TNT Sports.
Arena Square Fan Zone:
Leeds United have been allocated the Arena Square Fan Zone on the West side of Wembley stadium, perfect for groups and families. A Leeds takeover is expected with a number of activities planned, including mascot Kop Cat, facepainters, music and entertainment, exclusive giveaways, with Rich Williams hosting.
Doors for the Arena Square Fan Zone open at 11am and close at 2.30pm. Alcohol will stop being served at 2pm, an hour before kick off. The Arena Square Fan Zone is free to enter, but all supporters must present a valid stadium ticket for entry. Find out more HERE.
Important supporter information:
The club strongly recommends that all supporters download their digital tickets to their Apple/Google wallet prior to matchday. Tickets can only be scanned once for entry and will not be reissued, and screenshots will not be accepted.
Supporters can access Wembley Stadium via three rail or London underground stations: Wembley Stadium station, Wembley Central station, Wembley Park station. Please note, fans should expect these services to be busy due to the London Marathon and should allow extra time accordingly.
Wembley Stadium operates a restricted bag policy. Each person can only bring one small bag into the stadium, and it must not be bigger than A4 size. Wembley Stadium is a cashless venue. Please be aware that no kiosks will accept cash. Contactless & Card payments will be accepted at all kiosks inside the stadium. Please note, Brent Council have enforced a no-street-drinking-zone on Olympic Way and the surrounding areas.
More matchday information can be found HERE.
Discriminatory language or chanting, including tragedy chanting, is not acceptable, and you could be breaking the law. The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle dangerous and illegal behaviours within football grounds, and this involves but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour, tragedy chanting, fans entering the pitch, the use of pyros and throwing objects.
What has Daniel Farke said ahead of the match?
We’ve met before:
The journey so far:
Leeds: Derby County (1-3), Birmingham City (1-1 pens), Norwich City (3-0), West Ham United (2-2 pens)
Chelsea: Charlton Athletic (1-5), Hull City (0-4), Wrexham (2-4 a.e.t), Port Vale (7-0)
Top scorer in the cup:
Leeds: Ao Tanaka (2)
Chelsea: Pedro Neto (4)
