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Wrexham's rapid rise, a Hollywood story, and potent threats all over the pitch. Chelsea will have to be at their best to avoid a 'cupset.'

The games continue to come thick and fast for Chelsea. After beating Aston Villa on Wednesday night, Liam Rosenior's side will soon be in action again when they face Championship side Wrexham in the FA Cup on Saturday evening. 

So, what can we expect from our hosts? 

Wrexham are one of the more unique cases in British football over the past few years. As recently as April 2023, they were playing in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. 

They soon became the first team to ever go from the National League to the Championship in three consecutive seasons, and they aren't done there. Phil Parkinson's side are aiming for a fourth straight promotion, sitting in 6th place - the final play off spot, with a four point cushion. 

The North Wales outfit have already beaten a Premier League side in this year's competition, when they dumped Nottingham Forest out of the third round on penalties, after a thrilling 3-3 draw. 

In terms of dangermen, target man Kieffer Moore is the team's top scorer, with 11 goals. The Welsh international played against Chelsea in the Premier League for AFC Bournemouth back in 2022. 

He could be partnered by the team's second top goalscorer, Josh Windass, who has scored nine goals and is the perfect profile of player to buzz around a target man creating space. 

Meanwhile, midfielder Oliver Rathbone has scored a very impressive six goals in just 598 Championship minutes this season, and doing so from just 1.43 expected goals. If he plays this weekend, the Blues will have to be wary of his long distance shooting. 

There is a lot of experience in the Wrexham squad. For example, Jay Rodriguez - once capped by England - and a player who spent several years in the Premier League with Southampton and Burnley, barely gets a look in. The forward scored against Chelsea for the Clarets back in 2019. 

This will be no easy game for Chelsea, make no mistake. The atmosphere will be electric. They will be hoping for a famous day. The Hollywood ownership and all of that, it all feels part of a script where the hosts pull off a massive cupset. 

So, it is important that Rosenior and his team take the game seriously. There has to be quite a lot of rotation given the very intense March schedule, but those playing will have to be at their best level to make sure the team progress. Let's see. 

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