Chelsea versus Plymouth Argyle
Less than two months into his reign as Plymouth Argyle manager, Steven Schumacher finds himself going head to head with the current Champions League holders Chelsea.
One-time Everton starlet Schumacher, who succeeded Preston North End bound Ryan Lowe in December 2021, will be picking his managerial wits against Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues, who trail leaders Manchester City by ten points in the Premier League, will no doubt see the FA Cup as an opportunity to win another major trophy. They also have a Carabao Cup final against Liverpool to look forward to next month.
Tuchel will probably see their clash with the Pilgrims as a chance to feature a number of their fringe players, including Marcus Bettinelli, Saul Niguez and Timo Werner, as well as youth prospects Lewis Hall and Harvey Vale.
Argyle midfielder Jordan Houghton will be lining up against the club where he started his career and Panutche Camara could return to the Argyle side after appearing for Guinea-Bissau in the African Cup of Nations.
The Pilgrims have faced Chelsea's Under-21 side in the EFL Trophy three times in recent years, in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Several faces who featured in those three encounters are set to be involved at Stamford Bridge. Blues winger Callum Hudson-Odoi netted twice in their 2017 encounter and current Argyle first teamers Michael Cooper and Adam Randell appeared in their 2019 meeting.
