Image copyright: Getty Images
2024/25 FA Cup
Third round
Chelsea v Morecambe
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Saturday, 11 January 2025
Kick-off is at 17h00
Chelsea will begin their quest for a ninth
FA Cup title when they welcome lower-league Morecambe to Stamford Bridge in the third round on Saturday, January 11.
The Blues have enjoyed great success in the famous competition since the turn of the millennium, winning the trophy a remarkable six times - a feat only bettered by Arsenal's seven wins.
The West Londoners have contested the final five times in the last eight years, with the most recent of their eight titles coming in 2018 when they beat Manchester United 1-0.
They were unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Manchester City in the semi-finals last season, having impressed throughout before going down to Bernardo Silva's goal in the 84th minute.
Enzo Maresca appears to be getting the best out of the players this term as they sit fourth in the Premier League standings after winning 10 of their opening 20 matches.
However, Maresca's side are in a bit of a slump after a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on January 4 extended their winless run to four games.
Morecambe are struggling in League Two as they find themselves four points adrift of safety in 23rd place after picking up just four wins from their opening 24 fixtures.
Derek Adams' side actually climbed off the foot of the table with a 2-0 victory over Tranmere Rovers on New Year's Day, which was their second win in three outings.
The Shrimps have never progressed beyond the third round of the FA Cup and they bowed out at the same stage ion 2023-24 following a 2-0 defeat to Swansea.
Maresca has stressed the importance of taking the chances that come their way against the Lancashire outfit, admitting they can improve in that aspect after creating many opportunities in recent games, but not capitalising on them.
"First of all I've always said the most important thing is to create chances, because if you create chances that means you are doing the right things. Then you need to take those chances," the Italian said.
"In the Ipswich game, we had so many chances. Sometimes that's football. Sometimes you create one chance and score one, sometimes you need to create 10 chances to score two.
"The only thing we can do is try to be even more intense during the week when we prepare for the game, even if the intensity of the players is already top, but for sure it is something that we need to improve, remembering that we are one of the best teams for scoring goals at this moment."
Head-to-Head (Previous FA Cup Meetings)
Matches - 1
Chelsea wins - 1
Morecambe wins - 0
Draws - 0
FA Cup third-round fixtures:
Thursday, January 9
21h00: Sheffield United v Cardiff City
21h45: Everton v Peterborough United
21h45: Fulham v Watford
Friday, January 10
21h45: Wycombe Wanderers v Portsmouth
22h00: Aston Villa v West Ham United
Saturday, January 11
14h00: Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
14h00: Birmingham City v Lincoln City
14h00: Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers
14h15: Liverpool v Accrington Stanley
16h00: Leicester City v Queens Park Rangers
17h00: Reading v Burnley
17h00: Norwich City v Brighton & Hove Albion
17h00: Preston North End v Charlton Athletic
17h00: Chelsea v Morecambe
17h00: Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion
17h00: Sunderland v Stoke City
17h00: Exeter City v Oxford United
17h00: Brentford v Plymouth Argyle
17h00: Nottingham Forest v Luton Town
19h45: Manchester City v Salford City
19h45: Leeds United v Harrogate Town
20h00: Leyton Orient v Derby County
20h00: Mansfield Town v Wigan Athletic
20h00: Coventry City v Sheffield Wednesday
Sunday, January 12
14h00: Hull City v Doncaster Rovers
14h30: Tamworth v Tottenham Hotspur
17h00: Arsenal v Manchester United
17h00: Newcastle United v Bromley
17h00: Ipswich Town v Bristol Rovers
17h00: Crystal Palace v Stockport County
18h30: Southampton v Swansea City
Monday, January 13
21h30: Millwall v Dagenham & Redbridge
Bet on the FA Cup with Betway
Kick off your
sports betting journey & place a winning bet with our exciting Sports Welcome Offer where you’ll get up to R1,000 as a Free Bet when you make your first deposit.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow Betway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Download the Betway App.