Chelsea are aiming to keep away from turning into the third group to endure a shock towards Cardiff Metropolis on this season’s EFL Cup when the Premier League facet go to the Bluebirds on Tuesday.
The hosts are prime of League One and have received 2-1 at top-flight strugglers Burnley and Championship membership Wrexham of their final two ties within the competitors.
The Blues, who’ve received the EFL Cup 5 occasions, ended a four-match winless run in all competitions with a 2-0 victory at residence to Everton on Saturday.
101GreatGoals.com has full group information from Cardiff vs Chelsea within the EFL Cup. It’s also possible to observe reside textual content updates and stats from the match here.
Cardiff beginning lineup vs Chelsea
Rubin Colwill received the participant of the spherical award for Cardiff’s win at Wrexham however the 23-year-old Wales attacking midfielder is out following ankle surgical procedure, whereas defender Ronan Kpakio is suspended for 2 bookings on this season’s competitors.
Ollie Tanner has returned to full coaching after being out for 4 months with an ankle harm sustained when he hit an promoting hoarding at AFC Wimbledon, however the winger shouldn’t be anticipated to play till January.
With the scoreline 2-2, Barry-Murphy made a triple change in Cardiff’s 4-3 residence league win over lowly Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, bringing on defenders Dylan Lawlor and Perry Ng and ahead Chris Willock for Will Fish, Kpakio and Isaak Davies.
Cardiff prevailed via a 99th-minute aim by left-back Joel Bagan, and their boss is for certain to need to see his facet tighten up significantly from that show.
Cardiff Metropolis beginning XI: Trott; Ng, Lawlor, Chambers, Bagan; Wintle, Colwill, Turnbull; Ashford, Davies, Robinson
Cardiff substitutes: Turner, Fish, Giles, Mafico, Robertson, Donczew, Willock, Nyakuhwa, Salech
‘Hopefully we will do what we’ve been doing all season’ 💪@CardiffCityFC ’s Callum Robinson discusses his facet’s sell-out #CarabaoCup conflict with @ChelseaFC 🏆#EFL pic.twitter.com/yGNCTMg4qh
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) December 16, 2025
Chelsea beginning lineup vs Cardiff Metropolis
Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer scored his first aim since September within the win over Everton, however Maresca has rested the England ahead as a part of a season interrupted by a groin harm.
“Now we have quite a lot of gamers who must be protected,” defined Maresca, including that Palmer “must be advantageous” for the league journey to Newcastle on Saturday.
“The goal is to guard them and handle them. Cole is likely one of the gamers who deserves to be protected proper now. On this second, he’s not accessible to play two video games in three days.”
Dario Essugo shouldn’t be risked because the midfielder recovers from a thigh difficulty.
Defender Levi Colwill (knee), midfielder Romeo Lavia (thigh) and ahead Liam Delap (who would have been suspended and has a shoulder difficulty) are injured.
Moises Caicedo returns as captain after finishing a three-match league ban. Winger Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended indefinitely.
Chelsea beginning XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Hato; Caicedo, Andrey Santos; George, Buonanotte, Gittens; Marc Guiu
Chelsea substitutes: Sanchez, Gusto, James, Chalobah, Fofana, Fernandez, Garnacho, Neto, Joao Pedro
The right way to watch Cardiff v Chelsea: TV channel, reside on-line stream
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with reside protection within the UK on Sky Sports activities Fundamental Occasion, Sky Sports activities Soccer and Sky Sports activities Extremely.
Through Now TV, Sky Sports activities prices £14.99 for a day membership, £28 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Sky Sports activities memberships embrace entry to all 12 reside Sky Sports activities channels and Sky Sports activities+, which affords reside streams and a devoted channel.
Streaming is out there on an enormous number of units through the Sky GO app.
Cardiff Metropolis v Chelsea stats
- Cardiff have received their final 5 league matches, scoring no less than three objectives in 4 of these video games
- Their tally of 32 objectives on this season’s third tier is the very best by 4, whereas their aim distinction is six superior to another facet
- No participant has scored extra objectives within the 2025/26 division than Yousef Salech, who has yet one more aim and help mixed than another participant in League One and opened his account on this season’s EFL Cup with the primary aim of the sport towards Wrexham
- Metropolis have had essentially the most photographs on course (32) of any group on this season’s EFL Cup and common essentially the most correct makes an attempt per 90 minutes of any membership within the quarter-finals (8)
- They’ve misplaced all 5 of their conferences with Chelsea – 4 within the Premier League, one within the FA Cup – since a 2-1 EFL Cup residence win in October 1986, after they suffered a last-16 defeat at Shrewsbury City of their subsequent tie
- Solely Crystal Palace (16) have taken extra away factors on this season’s Premier League than Chelsea (14), whose two EFL Cup wins have come away to Wolves and League One membership Lincoln Metropolis
- Earlier than their defeat at Newcastle in final season’s fourth spherical, Chelsea had attain the EFL Cup remaining in two of the earlier three campaigns, dropping to Liverpool on each events
- Except for Queens Park Rangers (21.9), Chelsea have the youngest common participant age within the 2025/26 EFL Cup (22.3)
- Blues winger Jamie Gittens and Cardiff’s Rubin Colwill are among the many 15 gamers to have assisted twice throughout the first 4 rounds, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Tom Watson – whose facet misplaced to Arsenal in spherical 4 – the one participant to have arrange three objectives
- Solely Liverpool (10), Manchester Metropolis (8) and Manchester United (6) have received the EFL Cup extra occasions than Chelsea (5)
Do EFL Cup ties go to further time, replays and penalties?
Ought to they end degree after 90 minutes, EFL Cup ties go straight to penalties till the semi-finals, which happen over two legs.
If the scoreline is degree after the second leg, further time and – if crucial – penalties are used to separate groups.
The ultimate is a one-off match at Wembley Stadium, with further time and penalties used if required.
Liverpool beat Chelsea 11-10 on penalties within the 2021/22 remaining and edged the identical fixture after further time in 2023/24 via Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute winner.
EFL Cup quarter-final draw: Fixtures, schedule, TV channels
Listed here are the quarter-final fixtures and the way to watch. All occasions are GMT.
Tuesday, December 16
Cardiff Metropolis vs Chelsea (20:00, Sky Sports activities Soccer)
Wednesday, December 17
Manchester Metropolis vs Brentford (19:30, Sky Sports activities Soccer)
Newcastle vs Fulham (20:15, Sky Sports activities Fundamental Occasion and ITV)
Tuesday, December 23
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (20:00, Sky Sports activities Soccer and ITV)
EFL Cup dates 2025/26: When are the Carabao Cup spherical dates?
Spherical one began throughout the second week of the EFL season. A brand new preliminary spherical additionally passed off in late July between the 2 golf equipment promoted from the Nationwide League final season and the groups who completed twenty first and twenty second in League Two.
EFL Cup semi-final first leg
January 12, 2026
EFL Cup semi-final second leg
February 2, 2026
EFL Cup remaining
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Do the EFL Cup winners qualify for Europe?
The EFL Cup winners obtain a spot within the play-off stage of the UEFA Convention League until they qualify via one other route for European competitors.
Newcastle have been an instance of the rule in motion in 2024/25, as an alternative qualifying for the Champions League via their league place.
That meant their Convention League play-off place went to the next-highest ranked group who had not certified for European competitors through their league place.
Carabao Cup: When is the draw for the EFL Cup semi finals?
The draw will happen on Wednesday, December 17 after the quarter-final between the Magpies and the Cottagers.
What time is the EFL Cup semi remaining draw?
The sport at St James’ Park kicks off at 20:15 GMT (15:15 ET / 12:15 PT), which implies the draw is more likely to happen at roughly 22:35 GMT (17:35 ET / 14:35 PT), relying on added time and whether or not spot kicks are required.
The draw might be proven on Sky Sports activities Fundamental Occasion, which is broadcasting reside video games within the Carabo Cup within the UK.
EFL Cup fourth spherical outcomes 2025/26
Tuesday, October 28
Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Fulham (4-5 pens)
Wednesday, October 29
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Swansea City 1-3 Manchester City
EFL Cup third spherical fixtures, outcomes 2025/26
Wednesday, September 24
Huddersfield Town 0-2 Manchester City
Tottenham 3-0 Doncaster Rovers
Tuesday, September 23
Barnsley 0-6 Brighton & Hove Albion
Wigan Athletic 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Tuesday, September 16
Brentford 1-1 (4-2p) Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Grimsby Town
Crystal Palace 1-1 (4-2p) Millwall
Wednesday, September 17
Swansea City 3-2 Nottingham Forest
EFL Cup second spherical fixtures, outcomes 2025/26
Wednesday, August 27
Grimsby Town 2-2 (12-11p) Manchester United
Tuesday, August 26
Burton Albion 0-1 Lincoln City
Accrington Stanley 0-2 Doncaster Rovers
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Stockport County
Sunderland 1-1 (5-6p) Huddersfield Town
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 (3-0p) Leeds United
Cambridge United 3-1 Charlton Athletic
Swansea City 1-1 (5-3p) Plymouth Argyle
Bromley 1-1 (4-5p) Wycombe Wanderers
Cardiff City 3-0 Cheltenham Town
EFL Cup spherical one fixtures, outcomes 2025/26
Tuesday, August 12
Grimsby Town 3-1 Shrewsbury Town
Salford City 0-0 (2-3p) Rotherham
Harrogate Town 1-3 Lincoln City
Stockport County 3-1 Crewe Alexandra
Accrington 2-1 Peterborough United
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Bradford City
Middlesbrough 0-4 Doncaster Rovers
West Brom 1-1 (2-3p) Derby County
Chesterfield 0-2 Mansfield Town
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Notts County
Bromley 1-1 (5-4p) Ipswich Town
Bristol Rovers 0-2 Cambridge United
Leyton Orient 0-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Stevenage
Oxford United 1-0 Colchester United
Gillingham 1-1 (2-4p) AFC Wimbledon
Northampton Town 0-1 Southampton
Wednesday, August 13
Barnsley 2-2 (5-4p) Fleetwood Town
Bolton Wanderers 3-3 (2-4p) Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield Town 2-2 (3-2p) Leicester City
Birmingham City 2-1 Sheffield United
Tuesday, August 19
Tranmere Rovers 1-1 (4-5p) Burton Albion
EFL Cup preliminary spherical fixtures, outcomes
Tuesday, July 29
Barnet 2-2 (2-4p) Newport County
