Thomas Tuchel ventures outside the Premier League for the first time as Chelsea head coach as his resurgent side travel to Barnsley.
He will be looking to book the Blues’ place in the quarter-finals in a bid to go one better than his predecessor did last season and win the competition.
Chelsea are meeting familiar opposition at Oakwell Stadium on Thursday night, having emphatically dispatched of Barnsley earlier in the season in the EFL Cup, beating them 6-0.
However, this competition is no stranger to providing an upset. You only have to cast your mind back to 2008 when the Blues lost 1-0 to Thursday’s opponents in a shock cup exit, and there have been far stranger things occur since.
The hosts will be looking to avenge their earlier defeat to Chelsea and will be hoping they can carry on their form of beating stronger sides in the competition this season, having knocked-out the Championship’s table-topping Norwich City in the previous round.
Since that victory they have drawn their following two games and sit modestly in 13th place in the Championship.
Without further ado, here’s the lowdown:
Team News
Tuchel couldn’t have been presented a better opportunity to continue his relentless rotation of his squad to give some of the fringe players a runout.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, seemingly Chelsea’s cup goalkeeper now, will slot in ahead of Edouard Mendy as the Spaniard is given his first opportunity to impress the German head coach.
Expect Tuchel to stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation, taking the opportunity against lesser opposition to get the whole squad acclimatised so they’re ready to slot in when needed in other fixtures.
With Thiago Silva’s absence confirmed, you would expect Kurt Zouma to make his first appearance under the head coach who has thus far frozen him out, having been a regular under Frank Lampard.
Andreas Christensen will keep his place after impressing against Tottenham last week as Tuchel will be looking to build his match fitness with Silva out.
In the wing-back positions it would make sense for Ben Chilwell to start on the left and Callum Hudson-Odoi to resume service on the right, having been rested against Sheffield United. Chilwell has suffered teething problems in the new formation and will aim to regain confidence against lower-league opposition.
In midfield expect a pivot of Billy Gilmour and N’Golo Kante, with both likely to make their first starts under Tuchel. The Scotsman will want to stake a real claim for a starting position and show his value, while Kante was described by his boss on Wednesday as “one of the best midfielders in the world” who “fits into any manager’s plans”. (football.london)
This means Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, who have featured in every game so far under his tenure, take a well-earned rest.
Kai Havertz is expected to return to the matchday squad following an injury and start on the bench.
On the right, Hakim Ziyech’s return from injury will please Blues fans, with Tuchel stating in Wednesday’s press conference “there will be a chance tomorrow for Ziyech to show his best” and praising his ability to make a difference. (chelseafc)
Having scored a hat-trick in the last round against Luton Town, Tammy Abraham will most likely be given a chance to prove his worth while Christian Pulisic will seek to complete his comeback from injury setbacks.
On the other hand, Barnsley haven’t won a league fixture in 2021 but head coach Valérien Ismaël has said the squad is looking “very good” and they have had more time to prepare than normal having nearly two weeks off due to postponements.
Match Facts
- Earlier in the season, Kai Havertz scored his first Chelsea goals as he secured a hat-trick against Barnsley in a 6-0 win.
- Thursday’s hosts knocked Chelsea out of the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2008, beating them 1-0 in a shock result.
- The sides have met in the Premier League, most recently with Chelsea beating Barnsley 2-0 in 1998.
- In the reverse fixture of the above result, Gianluca Vialli scored four as Chelsea won 6-0.
Form (All Competitions)
Chelsea – WDWWW
Sunday 7th February 2021 – Sheffield United 1-2 Chelsea
Thursday 4th February 2021 – Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea
Sunday 31st January 2021 – Chelsea 2-0 Burnley
Wednesday 27th January 2021 – Chelsea 0-0 Wolves
Sunday 24th January 2021 – Chelsea 3-1 Luton Town (FA Cup)
Barnsley – LLWDD
Saturday 30th January 2021 – Nottingham Forest 0-0 Barnsley
Wednesday 27th January 2021 – Barnsley 2-2 Cardiff City
Saturday 23rd January 2021 – Barnsley 1-0 Norwich City (FA Cup)
Tuesday 19th January 2021 – Watford 1-0 Barnsley
Saturday 16th January 2021 – Barnsley 0-2 Swansea City
Predicted Line-ups
Barnsley – Collins; Sibbick, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Mowatt, Palmer, Styles; Frieser, Woodrow, Adeboyejo
Chelsea – Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Christensen; Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Gilmour, Chilwell; Ziyech, Abraham, Pulisic
Score Prediction
Barnsley 0-3 Chelsea
