Manchester City and Chelsea will face each other on Saturday’s FA Cup final and Enzo Fernandez is expected to lead the charge for the Blues. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his stay at Stamford Bridge, Fernandez is expected to wear the captain’s badge as Chelsea seek to end their underwhelming season with a trophy and qualification for Europe.
Fernandez has been a standout performer for the Blues following his arrival for an eye-watering £107 million in January 2023. However, his time at Stamford Bridge has been tumultuous. Chelsea has managed to win two trophies since his arrival – Conference League and Club World Cup last year under Enzo Maresca. The Blues also played Champions League this season. But they find themselves struggling to qualify for any European spot as the 2025-26 gradually comes to a close.
The FA Cup offers a path to redemption. While City are still on course to winning a treble this season, Chelsea has this one chance to win a silverware. They will look to their captain, who has proven to show up when needed most, to power them to victory at the Wembley Stadium.
The Argentine international ended Chelsea’s goal drought with a super header against Leeds at the FA Cup semi-final. This came after he returned from an internal two-game ban following a comment he made after Chelsea’s 8-2 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germaine at the Champions League last 16 in March.
Asked about his future at Stamford Bridge, a devastated Fernandez said: “”I don’t know. My focus is here for now. We have eight Premier League matches to play and the FA Cup. Then, the World Cup is coming up, so we’ll see after that.”
Fernandez declared in another interview his desire to play in Spain, particularly Real Madrid. He returned after Chelsea sacked manager Liam Rosenior and appointed Calum McFarlane on interim basis. The 25-year-old is expected to be in the thick of the action again in the FA Cup final, which may double as his 150th start for Chelsea.
Meanwhile, City are reportedly interested in signing Fernandez following Bernado Silva’s exit this summer, which adds extra intrigue in the much-anticipated encounter at Wembley Stadium.
