Chelsea plays its 800th match under Roman Abramovich Tomorrow

It’s an all-London affair to begin semi-final weekend in the capital. The Wembley stadium would be hosting Chelsea vs Tottenham tomorrow. This would be Chelsea’s 800th competitive match since its new owner Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003.

The famous arch of Wembley winks again for Chelsea. This will be the Blues’ 28th official match at the national stadium in its various incarnations – 13 at the old ground, 15 since the reopening in 2007.

This is what would once have been dubbed a cockney showdown, and it remains a tasty tussle for the pride of London. It is Chelsea’s 22nd FA Cup semi-final showing, and the Blues have tasted success in 11 of them. Ten have ended in defeat, a number shared by the Lilywhites, for whom this is the 20th last-four appearance.

Yet Spurs have lost their past six FA Cup semi-finals in succession, bookended by the neighbourly disputes with Arsenal in 1992/93 (1-0) to a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea in 2011/12.

One novelty this year is that Spurs have been playing their European matches at the national stadium. So, a crucial cup match, tipped to fail, on a neutral stadium that also doubles as our opponents’ home. Anyone for a repeat of Munich 2012?

This match is also crucial in boosting the morale of each side in the final race for the EPL top crown.