Chelsea will welcome League Two’s AFC Wimbledon to Stamford Bridge for the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, with kickoff slated for 18:45 GMT.
Key Highlights
Chelsea’s Tumultuous Start to the Season
Mauricio Pochettino’s remit at Chelsea is to calm things down and provide a tranquil environment for their talented players, mostly new signings, to perform and fulfill their enormous potential.
So far this season, there have been signs of direction for the Chelsea squad and their new manager. However, there have been challenges as well.
The Blues opened their season with an encouraging 1-1 draw against Liverpool, heralding positive feelings and optimism inside the Stamford Bridge stands and ranks.
Bet hereHowever, Chelsea’s familiarity with tumult continued when they plunged to a 3-1 defeat against West Ham, who played with 10 men from the 67th minute.
Chelsea returned to winning ways on Friday Night Football when they defeated newly promoted Luton United 3-0. They will look to make it two wins on the bounce when they entertain AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday.
AFC Wimbledon’s Unbeaten Start to Football League Two
After five rounds of fixtures in the Football League Two, AFC Wimbledon are unbeaten. In these opening rounds, they have won twice and drawn three times.
They have collected 9 points out of the available 15.
AFC Wimbledon have scored seven goals and conceded just twice in the process. They currently sit 5th on the League Two table with 9 points, 3 points off leaders MK Dons.
Johnnie Jackson will look to get his charges ready for the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge and taking on a high-caliber Premier League side.
AFC Wimbledon will look to be compact, disciplined, and mature in their performance. The focus will be on retaining their solidity at the back that has seen them concede just twice in five outings in League Two.
Most importantly, Johnnie Jackson will have his charges to attack the game, look to get forward and play progressively, especially during transitions to pose a threat to Chelsea’s rearguard.
Injury Report
Chelsea
Injury problems are again an issue at Stamford Bridge this season, with a raft of first-team players sidelined. Some of these ruled out include Mykhailo Mudryk, Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja, and Benoit Badiashile,
Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja are closing in on returns from long-term injuries. While Mykhailo Mudyrk should not be sidelined for long.
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon will be without center-back Paul Kalambayi after undergoing knee surgery and right-back Huseyin Biler with a hamstring. These players have been ruled out of the trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Wednesday.
Possible Lineups
Chelsea
R. Sanchez; A. Disasi, T. Silva, L. Colwill; M. Gusto, C. Gallagher, M. Caicedo, I. Maatsen; R. Sterling, E. Fernandez, N. Jackson
AFC Wimbledon
A. Bass; I. Ogundere, J. Lewis, R. Johnson, L. Brown; J. Tiley, A. Little, J. Reeves, J. Neufville; O. Bugiel, A. Al-Hamadi
Prediction
Mauricio Pochettino has argued that Chelsea’s identity is winning trophies. This provides his thinking and attitude toward silverware at Chelsea. This means he will take the EFL Cup seriously from the get-go.
Therefore, Chelsea will have a strong side to face League Two’s AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday as they look to do everything they can to win silverware in the Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali co-ownership era.
AFC Wimbledon would want a cup run, and a clash with one of the big Premier League sides will be motivation enough ahead of their clash on Wednesday.
Chelsea will have too much for AFC Wimbledon, and they will win the second-round clash to progress in the cup.
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