Di Matteo agonises over cup final line-up
Reuters - Friday 04 May 2012, 13:00
Chelsea's interim manager Roberto
Di Matteo is agonising over his team selection for Saturday's FA
Cup Final against Liverpool and has not ruled out
playing Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres together in attack.
The Champions League finalists are bidding to win the FA Cup
for the fourth time in six years and have all their players
available for the trip to Wembley apart from injured central
defenders David Luiz and Gary Cahill, who have hamstring
problems.
"It is always a difficult decision when I have to leave
players out, not just the two strikers, especially as we have so
much competition for places at this club," Di Matteo told
reporters on Friday.
"I think we all have to be happy we have two strikers who
are both in good form at the moment and I will make a final
decision tonight."
Chelsea have been playing a 4-2-3-1 formation since Di
Matteo took over from the sacked Andre Villas-Boas in March and
the Italian said he had not ruled out a change in the system for
the game at Wembley.
"I will think about it this afternoon," he said. "If I feel
it would be best for the team to change formation then I'll do
it."
One thing for sure is that John Terry, who led Chelsea to FA
Cup glory in 2007, 2009 and 2010, will again skipper the side
against Liverpool.
If the Londoners triumph, the central defender will become
the first captain to win the FA Cup four times with one club.
Arthur Kinnaird lifted the trophy four times in the early
days of the competition, twice with the Wanderers in the 1870s
and for the Old Etonians in 1879 and 1882.
Di Matteo said Brazilian international David Luiz and
England international Cahill were gradually getting better and
is hoping they will be fit to train again next week.
Chelsea are desperate for the pair to recover quickly, with
Terry and fellow defender Branislav Ivanovic suspended for the
Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the German
club's stadium on May 19.