Preview: Chelsea vs. Blackburn Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

After a promising set of results, Chelsea were left reeling by another damaging defeat at the weekend which has seen them drop back into the Premier League's bottom half.

Match preview

Saturday's defeat in a West London derby with Brentford has confirmed that Chelsea are still in the midst of a crisis, even if it appeared they had begun turning a corner in recent weeks.

Yet another humbling by the Bees at the Bridge means they were sent crashing back down to earth having now lost all three Premier League West London derbies at home against Thomas Frank's men.

Chelsea's win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the last round of this competition started a three-game winning run for Mauricio Pochettino, before then drawing 2-2 with Arsenal in a game where they had the ascendancy.

However, a mere 12 points from 10 matches means Pochettino's side find themselves back in the bottom half though, and they must ensure this does not become a banana skin of a cup tie which could heap even more pressure on the Argentine.

Chelsea did look uninspiring in limping to victory against AFC Wimbledon in round two, but the club have only lost to lower-league opposition once in the last 15 years - against Bradford City in the FA Cup in 2015.

One ominous sign is that they have often struggled to get past this stage in recent years, suffering elimination at the fourth round in four of the last eight seasons.

In similar fashion to their hosts, Blackburn have been chalk and cheese so far this season under Jon Dahl Tomasson.

After 17 games, they have only drawn one game, winning nine and losing seven, but three of those have come in this competition.

Those cup wins have been littered with goals too, as the 2002 winners are the competition's top scorers, having beat Walsall 4-3 in round one, Harrogate Town 8-0 in round two and fellow Championship side Cardiff City 5-2 in the previous round.

The fourth round is as far as Blackburn managed to get last season though, when they were knocked out by another Premier League opponent - eventual semi-finalists Nottingham Forest.

The last time Rovers managed to progress further than this stage was back in 2011/12, when they eventually succumbed to Cardiff in the quarter-finals.

Blackburn have improved remarkably in the league after a sluggish start, but their three-game winning run was ended at the weekend when Swansea City left Ewood Park with a 1-0 victory.

That result leaves Blackburn right in the centre of mid-table in 12th, but they remain just four points adrift of the playoffs.

Chelsea EFL Cup form:

W

W

Chelsea form (all competitions):

L

W

W

W

D

L

Blackburn Rovers EFL Cup form:

W

W

W

Blackburn Rovers form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

W

L

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Team News

After going with a relatively strong team in the win over Brighton in the last round, Pochettino may be tempted to make a few more changes this time with a clash against Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon.

Thiago Silva is one of the more obvious candidates to be given a rest due to his age, so that means Malo Gusto or Reece James may come in at right-back with Axel Disasi moving into the centre.

Chelsea are stretched defensively though, with Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell both absent along with Wesley Fofana, who is out for the season.

Mykhaylo Mudryk missed the Brentford game with a minor muscle issue and could well be kept fresh for next Monday, so Noni Madueke could be in for another start.

Enzo Fernandez missed the game after the birth of his child, but he has only been a substitute in both EFL Cup games so far, as Lesley Ugochukwu has seen his opportunities come in this competition.

Chelsea's other confirmed absentees are Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku, with the pair both expected to miss at least another month of action.

Tomasson picked virtually a full-strength Blackburn side for their win over Cardiff in the last round, and he could go with many of the same players who helped them to a 5-2 win there.

There were opportunities for youngsters Andrew Moran and Jake Garrett, and the pair scored three of Blackburn's five goals that night, so could be in line to start here.

Harry Leonard returned to action off the bench in Saturday's defeat after a month out, but there has not yet been comebacks for Sam Gallagher, Lewis Travis or Aynsley Pears, with the trio still a couple of weeks away.

Ryan Hedges is the only long-term absentee, as a hamstring injury is set to keep him out for the rest of 2023.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Cucurella; Ugochukwu, Gallagher, Caicedo; Madueke, Jackson, Maatsen

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Wahlstedt; Rankin-Costello, Hill, Carter, Pickering; Tronstad, Garrett, Moran; Markanday, Dolan, Szmodics

We say: Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn Rovers

Despite their woes so far this season, Chelsea's record against lower-league opposition speaks for itself and they should progress here.

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