Chelsea injury news: Calum McFarlane "very hopeful" of double boost for Man City FA Cup final

Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane is "very hopeful" of having Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho back from injury in time for next weekend's FA Cup final.

The Blues had to make do without both wide options in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool, in which McFarlane was deprived of all of his senior wide options.

Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Jesse Derry also missed out through injury, while Mykhaylo Mudryk has been banned since December 2024 as he continues to contest doping allegations.

McFarlane's men nevertheless gave Liverpool a terrific run for their money at Anfield, ending a six-game Premier League losing run and giving themselves a minor psychological boost for the trip to Wembley next weekend.

Speaking to the media following Saturday's match, McFarlane delivered a reassuring update on Neto and Garnacho, whom he expects to make the cut for the Man City showdown.

Chelsea expecting double injury boost for FA Cup final

"Yeah, we are very hopeful," McFarlane said when quizzed on the pair's status for the FA Cup final. "You have to take these things day by day.

"We're hoping that they'll be available, but we don't know at this moment in time. They're going to get back into training. We’ll see how they feel, see how it looks. So, fingers crossed."

Portuguese attacker Neto has been especially important to Chelsea during their run to the FA Cup showpiece, registering six direct goal involvements in five matches - four of his own and two assists.

Neto provided the assist for Enzo Fernandez's winner in the 1-0 semi-final triumph over Leeds United, while also netting a hat-trick against Hull City in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, Garnacho netted against Wrexham in the last 16 and Port Vale in the quarter-finals of the competition, and he has only failed to start one FA Cup game for Chelsea in 2025-26.

How should Chelsea line up for FA Cup final?

Liverpool did themselves few favours on Saturday with their passive approach to the game, but take nothing away from Chelsea's front-footed and gutsy display in difficult circumstances.

McFarlane counter-acted his lack of wingers by deploying Marc Cucurella in a more advanced role, and the Spaniard earned the man of the match award after helping to nullify the Liverpool threat down the right.

Having Cucurella and Jorrel Hato in the same XI would also make it easier for Chelsea to double up on Antoine Semenyo, and the Blues may need to hit Man City on the counter to stand a chance of success at Wembley.

Therefore, McFarlane could sacrifice Andrey Santos, shift Cole Palmer to a central role, introduce Neto on the right and stick with Cucurella on the left for the biggest game remaining in their season.