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Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has a "new start" at Chelsea but the club has to "manage expectations" with the player, says manager Thomas Tuchel.

Kepa, the world's most expensive goalkeeper at £72m, has been second choice at Stamford Bridge since the arrival of Edouard Mendy in September.


But the 26-year-old Spain international will start Thursday's fifth-round FA Cup tie at Championship side Barnsley.

Tuchel said Kepa "doesn't have to overachieve" when he plays

Kepa joined from La Liga side Athletic Bilbao in 2018 but failed to live up to expectations and was dropped by former boss Frank Lampard following a series of errors. He has made only one Premier League appearance since the arrival of Mendy.

Tuchel said: "I want him to play a normal match. He does not have to show me or anybody else he is ready to be Spain's number one in the summer.

"He just has to show his quality. Not more or less. So we have to manage expectations because I don't expect him to score and keep a clean sheet.

"I just want him to help us with his quality and for him to give a solid performance to help the team. He has big goals to achieve and big personal ambition. But this is normal; it's why he's here.

"The good thing for him is that we start new, it's a new start for him. I don't have a history with him and I hope there will be no difficulties, because I don't see them coming."

TEAM NEWS

Barnsley defender Toby Sibbick and midfielder Romal Palmer are available for the tie against last year's runners-up Chelsea after recovering from minor injuries.

Daryl Dike could make his debut after joining from Orlando City, but fellow forward Carlton Morris is cup tied.

Chelsea will name a strong side with Kepa, winger Hakim Ziyech and midfielder N'Golo Kante getting a start.

Centre-back Thiago Silva is sidelined with a muscle injury.

LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS

Thomas Tuchel has not lost any of his first four games as Chelsea boss and only conceded one goal - in Sunday's win over Sheffield United.

But he's not really had much of a test yet - Tottenham were terrible when they played them last week. Although Barnsley will make things difficult for the Blues, this is another game he will be expected to win.

Prediction: 0-2



However, one of those defeats came against Barnsley in 2008, when Kayode Odejayi (pictured) scored the only goal

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

  • Barnsley advanced to the semi-finals in 2008 after beating Chelsea - then FA Cup holders - 1-0 at Oakwell.
  • The only other FA Cup meeting came in the third round in 1989, with the Tykes winning 4-0 at home courtesy of a Steve Agnew brace plus goals from Gwyn Thomas and David Currie.
  • Chelsea have won four of their past five encounters in all competitions, including a 6-0 win at Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, when Kai Havertz scored a hat-trick.

Barnsley

  • Barnsley have reached round five for the first time since 2013, when they were eventually eliminated in the sixth round, losing 5-0 at Manchester City.
  • They have lost their past five FA Cup games against Premier League sides, conceding 15 goals and scoring two.
  • The Tykes' last FA Cup win against a top-flight team was their 1-0 victory versus Chelsea in 2008.
  • Barnsley had a combined total of 16 shots on target in their third and fourth-round matches - only Liverpool (19) and Tottenham (18) had more.
  • Cauley Woodrow has scored five goals in his six FA Cup appearances for Barnsley.

Chelsea

  • Victory would see Chelsea reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the 15th time since 2000, more than any other side in that period.
  • The Blues have only lost two of their past 17 games in this competition (W12, D3).
  • Olivier Giroud has 16 goals and nine assists in 33 FA Cup games.
  • Tammy Abraham has been directly involved in eight goals in his past six FA Cup starts, scoring five goals and assisting three more.
Image caption: 
Image caption: Travellers often need to show they have tested negative for coronavirus

Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says it has closed an unnamed test centre in the capital, Abuja, that was issuing fake Covid-19 certificates to travellers.

Chikwe Ihekweazu, the director general of the NCDC, said they had found evidence that the lab was collecting samples and money from unsuspecting travellers, but failing to test them.

Instead, they issued certificates claiming they had tested negative for the virus, enabling them to travel.

Mr Ihekweazu added during the organisation’s weekly briefing on Monday that a full list of accredited labs was available on the NCDC’s website and encouraged members of the public to only get tested at those centres.

He said that they were working on a platform where every lab in Nigeria could publish their test results which could then be easily verified by airlines or other countries wishing to check whether a result was genuine.

He did not specify when this platform would be ready.

The authorities in Nigeria recently suspended flights from the Emirates airline because the carrier wanted passengers from Nigeria to take a rapid Covid-19 test four hours before flying, in addition to the standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.



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