Chelsea will aim to book a spot in the EFL Cup fourth round when they host Barrow AFC at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
The EFL Cup third round resumes after nearly a week, with the coming two days bringing us some more action. Chelsea will return to the League Cup action at home, with Barrow AFC locking horns with the West London club at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Chelsea did not feature in the first two rounds of the 2024/25 EFL Cup after qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference. The Blues have been busy in the first few weeks of the 2024/25 season, starting with a defeat to Manchester City before embarking on an unbeaten run in the Premier League. That run of results has helped Enzo Maresca’s men to remain within touching distance of Manchester City.
As for Barrow AFC, they have produced two dogged performances in the first two rounds of the EFL Cup, beating Derby County on penalties before getting past Port Vale 3-2 in the previous stage. The Bluebirds have been impressive thus far this term, rising to the top of the EFL League Two table, looking to secure promotion to the third tier of English football.
The only previous match featuring Chelsea and Barrow AFC came in the FA Cup third round, with the West London club clinching a 5-0 win. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Barrow AFC on Tuesday, the Chelsea manager will remain bereft of the services of two first-team players.
Reece James and Omari Kellyman continue to recover from their hamstring injuries and remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia should have recovered from their thigh issues but will unlikely feature this midweek unless the situation becomes egregious.
Filip Jorgensen is the automatic pick between the sticks in cup competitions, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Barrow AFC. The backline should feature Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Levi Colwill.
As for the midfield unit, the versatile Renato Vagia will line up in the middle of the park, taking his place alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the double pivot. Finally, the attacking quartet will form a dynamic partnership, with Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Christopher Nkunku returning to the starting eleven.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Disasi, Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Colwill; Renato Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall; Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku
Barrow AFC
Unlike his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Stephen Clemence does not have any pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Barrow AFC manager should have a clean bill of health this midweek.
Wyll Stanway will likely take his spot between the sticks after Paul Farman replaced him in the goal at the weekend. Barrow AFC will line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Chelsea in front of him on Tuesday.
The backline should feature Rory Feely, Theo Vassell, Chris Stokes, and Ben Jackson. The full-backs will aim to remain compact to cut off the passing lanes for Chelsea, with the midfielder also shoring up the things in the middle of the park.
Captain Dean Campbell will sit at the base of the midfield unit, with Sam Foley and Kian Spence lining up alongside in the middle of the park. Gerard Garner should spearhead the Barrow attack against Chelsea this midweek, with Katia Kouyate and Elliot Newby completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Stanway; Feely, Vassell, Stokes, Jackson; Foley, Campbell, Spence; Kouyate, Garner, Newby
Key Stats
- The only previous meeting between Chelsea and Barrow in any competition was in the 1947/48 FA Cup third round. The Blues won 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.
- Barrow will become the 70th club to face Chelsea in the EFL Cup. The last eight sides to face the Blues in the League Cup for the first time have all lost, with the West London outfit’s record in this competition superior to most.
- Chelsea have progressed in their last six EFL Cup ties against opposition from the fourth tier.
- On Tuesday, Barrow will appear in the League Cup third round for the first time since the 1967/68 season when they lost 3-1 to Sheffield Wednesday. The Bluebirds have lost just one of their last seven matches across all competitions, picking up five wins and one draw since August 24.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 competitive home games, claiming nine wins and two draws since late February. Enzo Maresca’s men are unbeaten in six of last most recent seven games, claiming four wins and one draw, with a 2-1 defeat against Servette on August 29 being the exception.
Player to Watch
Mykhailo Mudryk
The EFL Cup is proving to be the salvation ground for fringe players and under-pressure outcasts to impress their managers and show them there is life left in them. Antony grabbed his opportunity with both hands last week, scoring in his only start thus far this term as Manchester United beat Barnsley 7-0 at home.
Mykhailo Mudryk is in the same boat as Antony, even though Maresca has lent his support to the Ukrainian international. While the 23-year-old wants to fight for his place in the squad amid his exit links, he can only remain at Stamford Bridge if he makes his mark in games like the one on Tuesday. So, Mudryk will be eager to stamp his authority when Chelsea and Barrow meet this midweek.
Prediction
Chelsea 4-0 Barrow AFC
Chelsea and Barrow are a mismatch, even though both teams are on similar runs of form. However, the gulf in quality between the two clubs is too steep for the away side to overcome. So, Chelsea should enjoy a breezy outing at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 5-0 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.