Chelsea have already beaten Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road in the Carabao Cup, but they have made hard work of narrow one-goal wins. Their in-form hosts, who currently lead the third tier, will be aiming to make things similarly challenging for the Blues.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is evasive when asked to explain his claim that he has endured his "worst 48 hours" at the club and lacked support.

They pushed Newcastle hard on their visit to St. James' Park in October, only falling to a last minute winner from Bruno Guimaraes. Only two points separate them from their hosts, who will be feeling the pressure after Sunday's defeat in the Tyne-Weir derby and who looked drained from competing on four fronts.

Jamie Carragher has fired a stern warning to Enzo Maresca after his fiery words about Chelsea. The Italian described the last few days as the worst of his time in West London, and Premier League icon Carragher believes it is a matter of time before he departs Stamford Bridge,

Some of you have been asking via our Ask Me Anything about Chelsea form whether the Blues' inconsistency is down to their youthful squad.

Bayern Munich was reportedly kicking the tires on Hamburger SV’s 18-year-old Croatian center-back Luka Vušković, but was shot down by his parent club, Tottenham Hotspur:

Enzo Maresca said Reece James' recent increased game time is partly because the defender himself is asking for more involvement despite the club's cautious load management.

Chelsea enters Saturday on a bit of a whimper on all fronts. After beating Barcelona in UEFA Champions League action last month, the club has gone winless in its past four matches. Along with losing to Leeds United earlier this month, the Blues only have draws against Arsenal and Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola proteges Enzo Maresca and Brian Barry-Murphy will reunite when Chelsea face Cardiff City in their EFL Cup quarter-final.

The head coach said the issue was a "general" one and that he is "very happy with the fans" after their win against Everton on Saturday.

Maresca came in for questioning at his pre-match press conference on Monday ahead of the Cardiff City game in the Carabao Cup as reporters sought to clarify the comments he had made after Saturday’s win over Everton.