Wrexham vs Chelsea: FA Cup preview, predictions and bet builder tips

• Ladbrokes previews Wrexham vs Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round

• Chelsea are 5th in the Premier League, with Wrexham 6th in the Championship

• Away side predicted to win an entertaining game

The FA Cup fifth round has thrown up a clash fit for Hollywood, as Wrexham welcome Chelsea to The Racecourse Ground. Ladbrokes previews the matchup between the Championship high-flyers and a Chelsea side that have found some momentum under Liam Rosenior. A quick glance at the Wrexham vs Chelsea odds tells us the visitors are the favourites at odds of 4/9, with Wrexham 5/1 to pull off an upset and a draw in 90 minutes priced at 4/1.

Match details

• Fixture: Wrexham vs Chelsea

• Competition: FA Cup

• Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026

• Kick-off: 17.45 GMT

• Venue: The Racecourse Ground

Wrexham vs Chelsea prediction

Our prediction: Wrexham 2-3 Chelsea

Wrexham vs Chelsea predicted lineups

Wrexham (3-4-2-1): Okonkwo / Cleworth, Hyam, Doyle / Kabore, Dobson, O'Brien, Thomason / Windass, Broadhead / Moore

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez / Gusto, Acheampong, Sarr, Hato / Andrey Santos, Lavia / Neto, Enzo, Garnacho / Delap

Chelsea to win in 90 minutes

Chelsea picked up an impressive 4-1 win at Villa Park last time out to boost their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, and they now sit 5th in the Premier League. The only team that Liam Rosenior has lost to since he took charge is Arsenal, and there are signs that he's beginning to get the best out of his young team, particularly Joao Pedro, who scored a superb hat-trick against Villa.

Wrexham are in fine form themselves, winning nine of their last thirteen games and three in a row, a run that's seen them move into the Championship playoff places, with the Welsh side now 6th. Phil Parkinson's team are chasing a remarkable fourth promotion in a row, and although their priorities may lie elsewhere, they'll want to put in a strong showing in front of their home crowd and a huge domestic and international audience.

The Blues have brushed aside Championship opposition away from home in their FA Cup run so far, beating Charlton 5-1 and Hull 4-0, and we're predicting they'll win again, but think it will be a lot tougher on this occasion. Wrexham have already knocked out Premier League opposition in Nottingham Forest, and actually defeated Chelsea the last time they played a competitive fixture back in 1982. Chelsea could rotate ahead of a big Champions League trip against PSG, with the likes of Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer rested, but we reckon they'll have enough to get over the line, winning an entertaining contest 3-2.

Over 2.5 goals

To go along with our 3-2 prediction, for the second leg of our Wrexham vs Chelsea bet builder we're picking over 2.5 goals. Wrexham defeated Forest on penalties after a 3-3 thriller, while Chelsea's two FA Cup games have seen ten goals. There have been over 2.5 goals in eight of Chelsea's last nine games in all competitions, and in each of Wrexham's last two home games. We reckon it could be a proper old-fashioned cup tie, with plenty of goals on the cards.

Pedro Neto 1+ shots on target

This game is a big one for a Chelsea side competing on three fronts, but sandwiched between their trip to Villa and their first-leg Champions League tie against PSG, Liam Rosenior could take the opportunity to rest some of his stars. After being an unused substitute at Villa Park, Pedro Neto could come back into the starting eleven here, particularly after he scored a hat-trick in the previous round at Hull. He also scored in the third round against Charlton, so we're tipping the Portuguese winger to continue to make an impact in this competition by having at least one shot on target.

George Dobson to get booked

Defensive midfielder George Dobson has become an important part of this Wrexham team since joining from Charlton in 2024, making 42 appearances as they secured promotion from League One and appearing in 32 of their 35 Championship games so far. The 28-year-old is a familiar face in the referee's notebook, averaging nearly fourteen yellow cards per season over the last four years, and has picked up six bookings so far in 2025/26. He's got some ground to make up to match his tally from previous seasons, and we think that could come up against Premier League opposition.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.