We take a break from the rough and tumble of the league tomorrow, as Premier League side Chelsea visit Sincil Bank.
It’s a huge tie, and possibly the biggest ever witnessed by a crowd at Sincil Bank. We’ve been debating that on the Patreon Discord – was Spurs in 1983/84 as big? Liverpool in 2020 would have been, were it not for being behind closed doors. However, for a match in front of supporters, rarely has a team so decorated been at the Bank.
Remember, they’re the World Champions, and even if you discount a two-bob competition halfway across the world, they won a European trophy last season. They’re laden with stars, and while it might be a mix of youth and experience tomorrow, it won’t be all youth – their Under 21 side are also in action.
One thing is for certain, it is an occasion, rather than a simple game, and Michael Skubala told press today it’s one the whole club are excited for.
“I think everybody’s excited as a group,” he told local media. “We’re really excited. We don’t know what they’re going to bring.
“We don’t know what squad they’re going to bring or the personnel they’re going to bring. But it doesn’t really matter because the players that are playing are £40 or £50 million players that are top players.
“So we just know they’re going to be strong and they’re going to be really good with the ball and we’re going to have to spend time dealing with them out of possession.
“But we’re at home and we think we can create a game that is hard for them to play against and we want to make it hard for them and see if we can get through into the next round.
“Whatever happens, we’ll give it our best go. And we’ll make sure that we’re ready to go.”
It’ll be the first competitive meeting between the two sides since 1911, and a chance for us to register another cup upset as we did in 1907. On that occasion, Chelsea came back and took our manager not long after, so lets hope history doesn’t repeat itself. Actually, thinking about it, that’s what Huddersfield did back in 2019.
Anyway, while our minds wander, Michael Skubala will do no such thing. He admitted there will be some changes from the side that faced (and beat) Luton Town at the weekend.
“There’ll be some changes in the group, but we think we can put a team out there that has enough physicality to win the game. And hopefully, again, if we can get the finishers and the subs to come on and affect the game late, that’d be a great day at the office again.”
I’m not sure there will ever quite have been a day at the office like it if we were to turn over the World Champions at Sincil Bank, as it is a unique occasion and one free of pressure.
That said, it is not unique for the boss, who revealed that preparations will be the same, just as they were for the Hatters at the weekend.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing Peterborough or Luton, doesn’t matter if we’re playing Chelsea. Our processes are all the same. We’ve planned the same way. We’ve tactically planned for how we think the game can look and how we want it to look, how we pick the team. Everything’s the same.
“Obviously there’s more stuff going on around the club and more fans will get excited. The place will be probably full, the city will be buzzing, which is great, which is what we want. And like I always say, when we win games like Luton, it’s for fans to get excited, but we have to keep calm.”
Finally, an answer I really liked. When asked if he’d be proud to walk his team out against Chelsea, Michael gave the most perfect answer he could have ever given.
“Whether it’s Chelsea, whether it’s Luton, whether it’s Peterborough next week, I’m proud to lead the team out every time in the league, in the FA Cup, in the Carabao.”
Amen to that, and hopefully, here’s to a cup upset to make my Dad’s final days that little bit more comfortable.
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