So after tasting a successful result at the Vicarage road, where the side defeated the fellow Premier League club Watford by two goals to one, the London club Chelsea will now be preparing themselves for the next showdown and this time around, they will be welcoming Bristol Rovers for a League Cup tie at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have started their new season really well as they defeated West Ham United in their very first fixture, then went on to replicate the same form against Watford. Apart from the results, the manager will be pleased to see the players returning to their form. The Stamford Bridge outfit had one horrible season last time around, but a new dawn is now expected here.
Well, this surely is an easy game for the Blues, as their opponents; Bristol Rovers, are currently struggling to find a footing in the League one. They gained the promotion in the League one in May, but since the competition has started, they have won just one of their last four games in the league.
Chelsea vs Bristol Rovers Team News:
Chelsea do not really have any major concern regarding the fitness of the players, but we might see Conte using a younger lineup this time around to give his senior players a much-deserved rest.
For the visitors, Rovers boss Darrell Clarke named an unchanged XI for the Southend game last time out and could well do the same this time around.
Predicted Lineup:
Chelsea:
Begovic, Ola- Aina, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Kante, Willian, Matic, Oscar, Moses, Batshuayi.
Bristol Rovers:
Mildenhall; Leadbitter, Clarke, Lockyer, Hartley, Brown; Clarke, Lines, Sinclair, Taylor, Harrison.
Stats:
- No team from outside the Premier League has eliminated Chelsea from the League Cup since Burnley in 2008.
- The Bristolians have lost all seven of their away games in this competition since 2005.
- This is the first time the two sides are meeting one another in almost forty years when both were in the second tier of English football.
- Chelsea have won three of their home games against the Bristolians, and even this time around, the weight is towards the Blues as football has changed a lot and the Stamford Bridge outfit is now one of the best clubs in Europe.
What they’re saying
Chelsea coach Antonio Conte:
“Losing always leaves sad things in you. You can lose your confidence and for this reason it is important to win these two games because you can continue to trust in the work and raise the confidence of the players.
“For these reasons it was important to start in the right way for all. Now we must continue and we have a great chance to continue in the next game at home.”
Bristol Rovers manager Darrell Clarke:
“For me, I’m disappointed and I’m angry [after the Southend draw]. I thought we put in a thoroughly professional performance. We take our medicine and we move on.
“We aren’t going there [Stamford Bridge] for a day out. We want to go there and do ourselves justice and give Chelsea right good game and see if we can win a Cup tie.”
Prediction:
As stated earlier, Chelsea are the heavyweight side in the fixture and we do believe that they will easily out-power the League one side. And given the form Bristol Rovers are in (won just one of their last six away games in either League One or League Two), Chelsea are the clear winners here.
4-0 Chelsea