Chelsea vs Barrow

Stamford Bridge is the venue as Chelsea and Barrow go head-to-head in a ‘David vs Goliath’ League Cup showdown.

Chelsea put fellow London rivals West Ham to the sword at the weekend, running out 3-0 victors in the crosstown derby to make it back-to-back wins ‘to nil’ after two straight winless outings beforehand (D1, L1). Heavily fancied to make it out of this tie, Enzo Maresca’s charges return to the Bridge, where they’ve blown hot and cold this season (W1, D1, L1), with the only win coming against Swiss outfit Servette in Europa Conference League qualifying. Though all three matches featured under 2.5 goals, a low-scoring theme may not necessarily be in store, especially given the substantial gulf in quality between these two teams. Barrow’s visit could be a chance for Chelsea to lace up their scoring boots again after netting one goal or fewer in both domestic home games this season.

On the other hand, visiting Barrow staged an upset in the previous League Cup round, getting the better of Derby County on penalties after a scoreless draw in regulation. They were far more lethal in the opening round when they outscored Port Vale 3-2 at home. However, they seem out of their depth here despite taking this trip amid a three-game unbeaten run (W2, D1). They could perhaps take heart from winning their last two competitive away games by a single-goal margin. Lapses of concentration toward halftime could be Barrow’s undoing in this match-up, as both goals they’ve conceded on the road this season have come in the last ten minutes of the first half.