The eagerly awaited FA Cup showdown between Wrexham and Chelsea is set to unfold this Saturday in North Wales, where the underdog team, backed by Hollywood, aims for a remarkable upset.

Chelsea needs to approach this match with caution. Wrexham has been on an impressive streak recently, losing only twice in their last 15 matches since Boxing Day. Their victory over Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup demonstrated their ability to compete against top-tier opponents.

Conversely, Chelsea’s performance has been less stable. Before their win against Aston Villa, they managed to secure just one point from two previous matches. To ensure a spot in next season’s Champions League, Chelsea must secure more victories in the Premier League.

Entering this fifth-round clash, both teams have larger ambitions. Following a commanding win over Aston Villa, Chelsea’s focus remains beyond the FA Cup, with the Champions League as their primary target.

Meanwhile, Wrexham is on the brink of making history. After achieving three consecutive promotions, their ultimate goal is to reach the Premier League for the first time. Securing a fourth straight promotion would etch their name into the annals of football history.

Guiding the teams will be Phil Parkinson for Wrexham and Liam Rosenior for Chelsea. Parkinson, who has been at Wrexham since July 2021, has led the team through remarkable achievements, and another win today would be a crowning achievement. Rosenior, having taken the helm at Chelsea in early January, seeks to build momentum from the recent Villa victory after a series of challenging matches.

Wrexham are hoping to orchestrate another giant-killing in the FA Cup as they host Chelsea

Trophy haul

Chelsea’s trophy cabinet is well stocked. The FA Cup is a favourite, since they’ve won it eight times in total, most recently in 2018.

They also boast two Champions League trophies, six top-flight league titles, and last year’s FIFA Club World Cup. Putting it all together, Chelsea have 34 major trophies to their name. Not too shabby.

Wrexham’s trophy cabinet may not rival that of their Premier League opponents, but the club have a rich history. They have lifted the Welsh Cup a record 23 times, long cementing their status as one of Wales’ most decorated sides.

In recent years, Wrexham have added a Football League Trophy (2004–05), an FA Trophy (2012–13), and the National League title in 2022–23, which ended their 15-year absence from the English Football League. No FA Cup, but who knows – maybe this is their year.

What Chelsea must really be envious of is Wrexham’s commemorative, plaque-adorned urinal that was gifted to Rob McElhenney by fellow owner Ryan Reynolds. It has pride of place in a bathroom at the Racecourse, and no other team in the UK can boast such a prize. Take that, Chelsea. 

Phil Parkinson, a veteran manager, welcomes the relatively inexperienced Liam Rosenior 

Chelsea boast a much more impressive trophy cabinet than their Championship foes 

Money, money, money

Chelsea’s expenditure makes Wrexham’s outgoings look like those of a nice neighbourhood team rather than one backed by Deadpool himself.

Chelsea’s total squad value stands at £1.01billion, the third-highest in the Premier League according to Transfermarkt. Midfielder Cole Palmer is the big-ticket man, with a market value of about £104million.

Wrexham’s squad, humble by comparison, is worth roughly £57.5m, with their centre-back Callum Doyle boasting the highest value at just shy of £7m. That means Chelsea’s squad is worth almost 20 times as much as Wrexham’s.

The bigger fish

So where do Chelsea and Wrexham sit in their respective leagues?

Wrexham are currently sixth in the Championship. The top priority, for them, is not the nostalgic FA Cup, but rather the tantalising fairytale of securing a fourth straight promotion. 

The top two teams, currently Coventry and Middlesbrough, take automatic promotion. Wrexham are in the final play-off spot, nine points off second.

It’s all to play for in the Championship, so Parkinson may want to take the opportunity to rotate his squad in preparation for their upcoming battle with fellow promotion-chasers Hull City on Tuesday. They may want to prioritise the promotion and put the FA Cup on the back burner.

Chelsea are in a similar position. In the tight race to earn a ticket to the Champions League next season, fifth-placed Chelsea are hot on the heels of Aston Villa, lagging only three points behind.

Rosenior may also be looking to rest up his star players so that their energy can be saved for more important pursuits – namely, Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 match-up at Paris Saint-Germain.

With both sides likely to rotate, it should be an interesting night.

Despite being the smaller side, Wrexham can sprinkle some Hollywood stardust on the occasion (pictured: co-owner Ryan Reynolds)

Popularity

Wrexham have undeniable star quality. Ryan Reynolds’ ownership of the club has catapulted them into the spotlight, even for those who don’t follow football. The Disney+ series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ has solidified the club as a commercial product.

The club’s Instagram has 1.5m followers, regularly showing off their glamorous owners. They’ve got an even more impressive count on TikTok, with 1.7m.

Despite being the third-oldest professional football club in the world, you can’t help but imagine that those followers probably have a fair bit to do with the Hollywood stars behind the scenes.

Chelsea certainly can’t complain about their social media presence, either. With 44.7m followers on Instagram and 22m on TikTok, they’ve got to be doing something right. They are one of the biggest clubs in England and their global appeal is massive with a chance to expand that this summer with a pre-season tour in Australia.