Premier League champions, Leicester City, are to take on Chelsea following the conclusion of the draw for the Third Round of the EFL Cup.
The three-time League Cup winners enter the competition at this stage due to their participation in the UEFA Champions League this season and will welcome Antonio Conte’s men in surely one of the matches of the round.
Cup pedigree
With these two sides coming face-to-face at the King Power Stadium, two of the most successful teams in the competition’s history come together. Having managed to reach the final on 12 occasions between them, with them taking home the trophy on no less than eight occasions, both will hope this success in the League Cup continues in the current campaign.
Coming into this season having lifted the cup three times, the last occasion being in 2000 under Martin O’Neill, Claudio Ranieri will hope that his team go further than they managed last time. Reaching the Third Round, the Foxes were eventually knocked out by then-Championship outfit, Hull City, via a penalty shout-out.
The Blues will also hope to regain some of their recent success in this particular competition, especially with no European football on the table this time around. Winning the title five times, most recently under Jose Mourinho in 2015, Antonio Conte will hope to better last season’s semi-final exit having only just edged past Bristol Rovers 3-2 in the Second Round at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.
Memories of a cup classic?
Having not met in the League Cup since the 2007/08 season, most supporters would be forgiven for forgetting the last clash between the Foxes and the Blues. However, with an eye-catching 4-3 final score-line, fans left Stamford Bridge short of breath.
With the Foxes surprisingly going ahead thanks to Gareth McAuley in only the sixth minute, the home side then responded with two quick-fire from Frank Lampard. Although, the visitors then stunned supporters as DJ Campbell and Carl Cort netted to edge the East-Midlanders ahead.
However, a late strike from Andriy Shevchenko equalled the scores before Lampard then completed his hat-trick to put the Londoners through to the next round.
The next meeting between the two is set to be played in the week commencing the 19th of September and will surely be an encapsulating and intriguing clash.