FA Cup Semi-Final: Chelsea vs Leeds Predictions And Betting Tips

Chelsea vs Leeds has been a fixture that has produced drama and goals this season and we fancy more of the same when the two meet in this weekend’s second FA Cup semi-final.

Neither side have the most reliable of defences and with huge pressure on Chelsea to respond following the sacking of Liam Rosenior, we’re going with a 18/1 Chelsea vs Leeds bet builder.

Sunday's bet builder is being backed with Betnero. Odds taken at 9:00am UK time and £10 returns £190.

Going For Goals - Over 3.5 Goals

It was an ugly end to the Rosenior reign at Stamford Bridge - seven defeats from eight and a staggering five scoreless attempts in that run. Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer have managed just one goal between them since an FA Cup win over Wrexham in March.

But Leeds’ wing-back system represents a good match-up and its produced goals this season. A 3-1 Leeds win in December was followed by a 2-2 draw a couple of months ago. These sides tend to get plenty of joy against the other from an attacking perspective.

And with caretaker Chelsea boss Calum McFarlane likely to let his side off the leash in search of creative inspiration, and throwing in Leeds’ decent run of form, it’s hard to ignore 2/1 for over 3.5 goals.

Both Teams to Score in the Second Half

I really fancy this one to open up in the second half. Chelsea have the technical edge but only one side (Bournemouth) in the top half of the Premier League have conceded more goals than them. More recently, they’ve conceded seven second-half goals in their last four matches.

It’s a similar story for the Yorkshiremen. Take out their 3-0 over Wolves and all of the five goals they’ve conceded in April have come in the second 45 minutes.

Legs can tire quickly at Wembley too, so both teams to score in the second half is next in.

Noah Okarfor to Score Anytime

One man coming into this one in great form is Leeds forward Noah Okafor.

Since returning from international duty with Switzerland, the 25-year-old has notched three goals and two assists in four games.

He also has previous against Chelsea, scoring a scrappy late equaliser in that Stamford Bridge draw back in February.

Chelsea -1.5 Corner Handicap

Only Newcastle average more corners in the Premier League than Chelsea, while Leeds sit in the bottom six in that metric.

And given the large Wembley pitch, I’m backing Chelsea to be much more adept to their playing surroundings and dominate the ball. Leeds will sit in and look to counter via their wing-backs, and I think that combination will lead to Chelsea coming out firmly on top in the corner match-up.

More than half of Chelsea’ Premier League games have seen over 10.5 corners and with Leeds mustering just five of them in two outings against Sunday’s opponents this season, I can’t see it being an avenue of great success for the underdogs.

Chelsea to Win

Completing our Chelsea vs Leeds bet builder is a Blues win inside 90 minutes. Leeds will cause problems and have done for many of the big hitters in the Premier League, but with Chelsea free of the Rosenior shackles, I’m expecting a performance much more like their old selves.

Only Wolves and Burnley have been worse on the road this season in the top flight than Leeds and that has to count for something here.

We don’t have a massive data sample to go off, but McFarlane led Chelsea to a credible draw against Man City at the Etihad earlier in the campaign and I’m backing him to get a tune out of his temporary outfit once again.