Liam Rosenior issues Chelsea squad warning as FA Cup & Wrexham verdict offered | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has warned his players about Wrexham's "energy" despite being the favourites heading into Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round tie.

The clash at Racecourse Ground this weekend is expected to attract a lot of eyes.

Since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the club in 2020, Wrexham has climbed through the English football pyramid at an unprecedented rate.

They became the first team in English football to achieve three consecutive promotions and are now in a strong position in the Championship to fight for promotion to the top division, the Premier League, this season.

The Welsh club has understandably generated a lot of interest, especially through the documentaries detailing their rise from the National League.

It has even caught the attention of Rosenior.

"Yeah, I've seen a few," the Chelsea boss admitted in Friday's press conference when asked about the Wrexham documentaries.

"When you see a club grow, develop, improve, and come up through the leagues, it's a great story.

"They've done a great job.

"I think Phil [Parkinson] has done an incredible job, the way he's managed the team and the position they're in in the league as well now.

"We know it's going to be a really, really difficult game. It's a club that's on the rise, and there's a good energy and a good vibe around. It's hard to play against that.

"We take the game really seriously. For us, it's an opportunity to win a trophy."

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Wrexham already took down a Premier League side, Nottingham Forest, in the third round in January, so Rosenior is right to be wary of a potential upset.

That said, Rosenior did not deny that the odds are in Chelsea's favour.

"That's what football's about," Rosenior responded to the notion that Chelsea will be the antagonists this weekend.

"That's what the FA Cup is about, and we need to be respectful of that.

"We understand we're the favourites to win the game, rightfully so, and we need to go and play like that tomorrow evening."

Chelsea and Wrexham have not met competitively since 1982, but the two sides recently played in a friendly in 2024 and a pre-season tournament, the Florida Cup, in 2023, that ended 2-2 and 5-0, respectively.