“A semi-final, and old scores”
Newcastle United host Chelsea in the English FA Cup semi-final on 20 April, with three recent meetings all won by the Blues.
By Gaz Pemberton · The English Daily · 13 April 2064
The English FA Cup is down to its semi-finals, and Newcastle have Chelsea standing between them and the final. You don’t need a season ticket to know that’s a sore little sequence for the home crowd to carry into this one.
Francisco Pardal knows Newcastle from his time there, making 40 appearances for the club before joining Chelsea. Now the old boy returns in blue, with a place in the final at stake. Chelsea’s long run of Premier Division titles tells you the scale of the task; cup football gives Newcastle their chance to change the conversation.