Chelsea dealt sudden FA Cup final worry before Man City after training injury

It is worrying news for Chelsea just before their Wembley clash with Man City, as one player emerges as a late doubt for the FA Cup final.

Chelsea can end regrettable season with silverware

Saturday afternoon at Wembley should be one of the great occasions of the English football season.

Chelsea take on City in the final at 3pm, with silverware on the line and both clubs carrying very different motivations into the 145th edition of the world’s oldest cup competition.

For Chelsea, it is a chance to lift the trophy for the first time since 2018, when they beat Man United 1-0 in what feels like another lifetime.

As the Blues hunt for a new manager, with Xabi Alonso now Chelsea’s top target, the FA Cup could help the west Londoners end their regrettable season on a high.

For City, it is the opportunity to complete the first half of a potential domestic treble, having already won the EFL Cup earlier this season.

The build-up, however, has been disrupted by a significant injury concern at Stamford Bridge.

Tosin Adarabioyo now an injury doubt for Chelsea ahead of Man City

According to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo faces a late fitness test after picking up a knock in training.

The 28-year-old is described as a doubt for the final, and Chelsea’s interim manager Calum McFarlane will be hoping for positive news before naming his squad.

Tosin has been a peripheral figure in Chelsea’s Premier League campaign this season, managing only a handful of league starts. But the FA Cup has been a different story.

The defender has been a consistent presence in the cup side throughout the run to the final, scoring in the 5-1 third-round demolition of Charlton Athletic and again in the 7-0 quarter-final thrashing of Port Vale — Chelsea’s biggest FA Cup win since 2011.

His aerial presence, composure on the ball and experience have made him an important figure in a competition where McFarlane has rotated heavily from his league selections.

Losing him for the final would be a blow.

Chelsea’s defensive options have been stretched at various points this season, and the prospect of facing Erling Haaland without one of the few centre-backs who has played regularly in the cup is far from ideal.

City arrive at Wembley as the first club in history to contest four consecutive FA Cup finals. They lost the last two — to Man United in 2024 and Crystal Palace in 2025 — and Pep Guardiola’s side will be desperate to end that run.

Their path to the final has been emphatic: a 10-1 demolition of Exeter, a 4-0 quarter-final mauling of Liverpool featuring an Erling Haaland hat-trick, and a dramatic late comeback against Southampton in the semi-finals.

Chelsea’s route has been less straightforward.

Wrexham took them to extra time in the fifth round, and although the 7-0 win over Port Vale and the professional 1-0 semi-final victory against Leeds — sealed by an Enzo Fernández goal — suggested real quality, they have not yet been seriously tested by an elite top-flight side in the competition.

City will be a different proposition entirely.

There is also a curious historical quirk hanging over the final. Despite appearing in five of the last six FA Cup finals between them, Chelsea and City have never actually met in one.

Saturday will be the first time, adding an extra layer of occasion to an already significant afternoon.

Chelsea have not scored in any of their last four finals at Wembley — a run stretching back to Christian Pulisic’s early strike against Arsenal in the 2020 final.

Breaking that drought against a City side who have dominated possession in recent finals but failed to convert it into victories will be central to McFarlane’s game plan.