THE CHELSEA STARS TOWN COULD FACE
EUROPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ON THE RADAR FOR JOLLEY’S MEN - HERE’S WHO MAY FIGURE
GRIMSBY Town have finally booked their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup now they face the small matter of Premier League giants Chelsea.
The Mariners beat Macclesfield Town on penalties in their rescheduled second round tie following the wash-out at Blundell Park two weeks ago.
Now, a trip to Stamford Bridge awaits them in two weeks’ time, and Michael Jolley will have plenty of planning to do as he tries to formulate a plan to get past the Europa League champions.
It’s hard to say how Frank Lampard’s men will line up when they host the Mariners, although there are a few hints as to what his side could look like on Wednesday, September 25...
GOALKEEPER
You may well remember the incident at Wembley last season which involved the Blues’ first-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga - and almost saw then-manager Maurizio Sarri storm off down the tunnel.
With penalties looming, the game was halted as Kepa went down with cramp, and didn’t seem capable of continuing.
Sarri decided to bring on back-up goalkeeper Willy Caballero - but Kepa refused to leave the pitch, causing plenty of confusion among those watching on, and sending his manager into meltdown.
The Spaniard would get his way, although he couldn’t inspire his side to victory in the resulting shootout.
Having been denied his chance at Wembley, it seems pretty likely that Caballero will get a run-out when the Mariners head to Stamford Bridge.
He started the Blues’ third and fourth round ties last season before Kepa took his place for the quarter-finals onwards.
Another option for Lampard could be 20-year-old goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, who is third-choice goalkeeper this season, having signed a four-year contract in the summer.
DEFENDERS
Chelsea have a fair few injuries to contend with throughout their squad, but should have a few players returning by the time Town head to London.
Lampard’s first-choice back four would appear to include Cesar Azpilicueta, Emerson and Antonio Rudiger, who could return from his recent knee injury soon.
Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma are left to fight it out for the remaining spot in defence, while 21-year-old Fikayo Tomori has also emerged as a contender after starting the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United.
Any one of those three could find themselves lining up against the Mariners, and it seems Marcos Alonso is a pretty good bet to play a part, having made just one appearance from the bench so far this season. Nineteen-year-old Reece James could have also been an option, although an ankle injury means he’ll likely be out for the cup clash.
Therefore, one of the club’s youngsters could get a run-out, so the likes of Marc Guehi, Tariq Lamptey, Marcel Lavinier, Ian Maatsen and Jack Wakely could be in with a shout.
MIDFIELDERS
Again, injuries will play their part here, but Lampard has generally played with five midfielders in his side this season.
You’d expect the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Pedro and Willian to be rested for the visit of Town, although with Kante on his way back from injury, the clash might provide some much-needed playing time for the Frenchman.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has missed the start of the 2019/2020 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon back in April, but is expected to be back fit by September 14, so may get a run-out.
One player we can rule out is Ruben Loftus Cheek, with the England international expected to be out injured until November.
So, again, it seems likely that one or two of Chelsea’s youngsters will get a run-out here the likes of Billy Gilmour, Danilo Pantic, Marco van Ginkel, George McEachran and Brazilian
midfielder Nathan will all be in contention.
STRIKER
Lampard has favoured just the one striker for the most part this season, and this is where he has an abundance of options among his first-team regulars.
Tammy Abraham has been the man in the goals in recent games, and you’d expect him to get a rest if he continues with his form in the Premier League.
There’s no shortage of firepower, though Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi could both in consideration for a start, as could 20-year-old Ike Ugbo, who spent the first half of last season on loan at Scunthorpe United.