Holders Chelsea meet Walsall in the third round of Capital One Cup at Bescot Stadium to kick-off their trophy defence on Wednesday evening.
Jose Mourinho’s side made a stuttering start to the new season and could manage only four points in their first five Premier League fixtures. However, Blues’ bounced back to defeat Maccabi Tel-Aviv 4-1 in Champions League opener last Wednesday before thrashing local rivals Arsenal 2-0 in controversy marred London Dery on Saturday afternoon.
The Portuguese tactician has given strikers Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy an opportunity to prove their worth upfront while reinstating skipper John Terry in the heart of the defence.
Brazil international Diego Costa is not available for selection as he is serving a three-match suspension for getting involved in an altercation with Arsenal striker Gabriel during London Derby on Saturday.
Meanwhile, John Obi Mikel and Ramires both feature in midfield, as does youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Brazilian midfielder Kenedy is also amongst the several fringe players hoping to make a statement in their careers with an impressive performance against the League One outfit tonight.
Let’s have a look at how the two sides are lining up tonight.
| Walsall 4-2-3-1 | Chelsea 4-2-3-1 | ||
| 1 | Neil Etheridge | Asmir Begovic | 1 |
| 2 | Jason Demetriou | Branislav Ivanovic | 2 |
| 6 | Paul Downing | John Terry | 26 |
| 4 | James O’Connor | Gary Cahill | 24 |
| 14 | Rico Henry | Baba Rahman | 6 |
| 7 | Adam Chambers | John Obi Mikel | 12 |
| 8 | Sam Mantom | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | 36 |
| 18 | Kieron Morris | Ramires | 7 |
| 10 | Romaine Sawyers | Robert Kenedy | 16 |
| 15 | Milan Lalkovic | Loic Remy | 18 |
| 21 | Jordan Cook | Falcao | 9 |
| Substitutes | |||
| 3 | Andy Taylor | Eden Hazard | 10 |
| 11 | James Baxendale | Bertrand Traore | 14 |
| 12 | Anthony Forde | Papy Djilobodji | 15 |
| 13 | Craig MacGillivray | Pedro | 17 |
| 16 | Matt Preston | Nemanja Matic | 21 |
| 17 | Reece Flanagan | Jamal Blackman | 27 |
| 22 | Liam Kinsella | Temitayo Aina | 34 |
