Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has been spotted at Wembley Stadium despite the Blues having rejected Crystal Palace’s request for him to play in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final. The two teams come together at the national stadium with both understandably keen to book themselves a ticket to May’s showpiece final.
After starring on-loan with the Eagles so far this season, the terms of Gallagher's loan prevent him from appearing against his parent club on Sunday. The decision will of course be a huge disappointment for the midfielder - as well as Palace - with the Croydon side having seen an appeal for him to be made eligible rejected by the Blues.
Despite the decision, Gallagher still elected to travel down to Wembley with his adoptive teammates and soak up the pre-match atmosphere at the national stadium. He was spotted on the pitch ahead of kick-off in his Crystal Palace tracksuit.
The midfielder then made a bee-line for supporters, even affording time to take photographs, with some supporters understandably slightly anxious ahead of kick-off, especially without one of their star performers.
He said: “We met some weeks ago, we met after the international break by coincidence, in a restaurant, and we had a chat, and the subject came up. And I apologised!
“Because I know how competitive he is and I know his character, I like him a lot and it was a pleasure to have him here in pre-season.
“We play to win the game, the rules were clear when we made the loan. I can totally understand the disappointment of Conor, but these were the rules when we made the loan and we don’t want to suffer from our rules.”
Chelsea and Crystal Palace clash in an all-London FA Cup semi-final showdown at Wembley this afternoon.
As the now three-horse race to buy the club from Roman Abramovich reaches its final stages, Chelsea are battling to keep their on-pitch campaign alive this weekend after a valiant but ultimately agonising Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Real Madrid in Spain.
But Thomas Tuchel’s side are likely to face another stern test from capital rivals Palace as they bid to reach their 16th FA Cup final overall and fifth in the last six years.
The revamped Eagles are enjoying a successful first season under Patrick Vieira, with their style of play revolutionised and a top-half finish well within their grasp. They have taken four points off both Manchester City and Arsenal this season, so performing at their best in big games hasn’t been a problem.
fter seeing a seven-match unbeaten run spoiled by Leicester last time out, Palace are aiming to seal a third FA Cup final appearance and first since 2016, when they lost in extra-time to Manchester United.
The winner of this one will face Liverpool in the final, after they beat Man City 3-2 in thrilling fashion on Saturday.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace is scheduled for a 4:30pm BST kick-off today, Sunday April 17, 2022.
The match will take place at Wembley Stadium in London.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
TV channel: Today’s semi-final tie will be broadcast live on ITV, with coverage beginning at 3:45pm.
Live stream: Television license-fee payers can also catch the game live online via the ITV website or ITV Hub.
0 Comments