Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Declan Carr

Sun 19 April 2026 16:10, UK

Daniel Farke must turn all his attention to Leeds United‘s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea.

The Whites face Bournemouth in Premier League action on 22 April before the Wembley clash on 26 April.

The Whites have not won a major trophy since they were crowned as First Division champions in the 1991-92 campaign.

They have the ideal chance to end that drought with an FA Cup triumph, and it would be even sweeter if they got past the Blues.

Leeds shares a heated rivalry with the Stamford Bridge side, and that has continued on social media this season, so if they could get one over on them, it would be brilliant.

Why Leeds can focus on Chelsea cup clash

Leeds are looking safe in the relegation battle, eight points clear of the drop zone, with just a 0.32 per cent chance of dropping down to the Championship, per the latest Opta Analyst supercomputer prediction.

As a result of the latest relegation scenes, they can afford to rest players against the Cherries so that they can put out the best possible line-up against Liam Rosenior’s side.

It is not every day that the LS11 club have the opportunity to reach the final of a cup competition, so they should take it with both hands, especially given that they look likely to survive.

Why Leeds should fancy their chances vs Chelsea

Chelsea are very vulnerable at the moment, as they have won just three of their last 10 league matches, with one of those results being a 2-2 draw with the Whites.

They have lost their last four in the division, failing to score in any of those games, so they are there for the taking.

Farke’s side are unbeaten in their last six fixtures in all competitions, conceding just three goals and scoring 10 goals in the process.

The LS11 side should head into the contest full of confidence, and they can keep players fresh because they are in less danger of going back down to the second tier, given the way things currently stand.

It would be a memorable occasion for supporters and leave them one game away from a trophy win, which would be the cherry on top of a brilliant first campaign back in the top-flight.