Chelsea embark into the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening with the welcome visit of Grimsby Town to the capital for a third round tie.
No opposition should be underestimated, however in the face of the League Two side, Frank Lampard will have room to rotate and rest his squad after a hectic start to the 2019/20 campaign.
Grimsby are in fact two places and seven points better off than the Blues in their respective division, albeit having played four more matches and Michael Jolley will have an optimistic approach against their inconsistent hosts.
Form
Consistency truly has been the Achilles heel for Lampard during his brief spell in charge of his former club. After hammering Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-2 in the Premier League, Chelsea fell to two consecutive home defeats.
Their Champions League bow began with an unexpected 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge to Valencia, before the league leaders Liverpool edged out a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea have just two victories under Lampard in his first seven fixtures and have yet to keep a clean sheet throughout this period.
This will be music to the ears of the League Two's fourth highest scorers, Grimsby having netted 16 goals in their ten domestic games. However, similar to Chelsea, the Mariners’ results have been chequered; their victory over Macclesfield Town on the weekend was the first three points in the league since the end of August and their second win in six games.
It was the success against the same opponents that set up Grimsby's stellar tie with the current Europa League champions. A penalty shoot-out at Blundell Park ended with the home team 5-4 victors, securing their progression from the second round.
Head-to-head
This fixture can be dated back to as early as 1905 (Chelsea won 2-0), when the pair faced off in the fabled League Division's One and Two.
Regardless of their extended rivalry, Chelsea and Grimsby have never met in the League Cup and have not locked horns since 1996 where the Blues, managed by Glen Hoddle, scored four in an FA Cup replay win in SW3.
Grimsby last won at the Bridge back in December 1983 with a festive 3-2 win; a year later, Chelsea scored a singular goal at Blundell Park on the final day of the 1983/84 season to snatch the Second Division title.
History of the cup
Chelsea's record entering this fray is formidable; they have only failed to progress from the third twice since 2005, where they were halted by Charlton and then Newcastle in 2010.
On the other hand, Grimsby have not made it to the fourth round in 18 years when they faced another Premier League giant, Arsenal, having beaten Liverpool among others on route.
Jolley's side have form in scalping the big boys in this competition; in 2005, Tottenham Hotspur travelled to Lincolnshire and returned to London stunned after losing 1-0 in the second round.
In the face of lower division opponents, Chelsea have not tasted defeat in normal time since 1990, Burnley beating the Blues via penalties in 2008.
Last term, Maurizio Sarri lead Chelsea to the finale of the Carabao Cup, meeting Manchester City at Wembley, once again foiled by the dreaded spot kicks.
Team news
Callum Hudson-Odoi's curtain will be raised upon Lampard's new theatre production against Grimsby as confirmed by the boss himself.
The 18-year-old has been on the road from recovery since suffering a ruptured Achilles in April but has since featured for the U23s and appears back to full fitness. Alongside him is Reece James, who has been denied a first-team opportunity by ankle surgery yet is back in action and his debut is right around the corner.
On the young duo, Lampard told the Telegraph: "They will be involved on Wednesday night, they’ll be involved. We certainly need to look at players that haven’t been playing as much against Grimsby."
Defence issues continue to mount for Lampard as both Emerson and Andreas Christensen were forced off against Liverpool for knocks, however the latter did not seem too serious. Antonio Rudiger is the other absent defender, his long-awaited comeback from the side-lines at Wolves lasting just 45 minutes.
Continuing his youth policy, Billy Gilmour could build on his league debut in the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United by making a senior start in the midfield.
Predicted line-up: Caballero; James, Tomori, Zouma, Alonso; Barkley, Kovacic, Gilmour; Pedro, Batshuayi, Pulisic.
Grimsby Town
The two confirmed players Town will be without are centre-back Ludvig Öhman, who could be out for up to a month with a hamstring problem and Luke Waterfall, who is cup tied.
Moses Ogbu (illness) and Harry Davies (injury) are in contention for selection.
Predicted line-up: McKeown; Hewitt, Pollock, Gibson, Hendrie; Cook, Hessenthaler, Robson, Green, Hanson, Rose.