Chelsea will be seeking a distraction from their Premier League struggles as they host Championship side Blackburn Rovers in a Carabao Cup Round of 16 clash. Rovers have also had their problems this season and the Blues will be confident of claiming the upper hand on Wednesday.
Chelsea have come through two rounds of the Carabao Cup to secure their place in Wednesday’s clash. First they picked up a 2-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon before edging out fellow Premier League side Brighton in the previous round.
The Blues will be keen to use a solid cup run as a confidence builder for their disappointing league campaign. They are in the bottom half of the table and head into Wednesday’s clash with a 2-0 home defeat to Brentford last Saturday.
While it was a disappointing result, it was also the first defeat in five matches for Chelsea, who were showing signs of resurgence. Mauricio Pochettino’s men had picked up three wins in that run and will be looking to channel those performances on Wednesday.
Blackburn Rovers have come through every round of this season’s Carabao Cup but are yet to face a Premier League side. They picked up a 5-2 victory over fellow Championship side Cardiff City to reach the round of 16.
Like Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers have also had their problems this season and are currently in the bottom half of the Championship standings. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 1-0 at home last Saturday.
One thing that will give Blackburn Rovers some confidence heading to Stamford Bridge is their recent record on their travels. They have won their last two away matches and claimed a 2-1 victory in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea’s superior quality means they are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 1/4 by 10bet. An unlikely win for Blackburn Rovers is valued at 13/1 by Coral while Unibet is offering odds of 5/1 for a draw.
Head to head
Chelsea have a 40-31 advantage with 30 draws from 91 previous matches against Blackburn Rovers. The last meeting between both teams was a Premier League clash back in 2012 which ended 2-1 in favour of the Blues.
Players to watch
Nicolas Jackson remains the only available striker for Chelsea with Armando Broja still out injured. The Senegal forward was on target in the win over Brighton and is priced at evens with BetVictor to find the net on Wednesday.
Sammie Szmodics is among the standout players for Blackburn Rovers and often carries a major threat from midfield. He has seven goals this season and is priced at 11/2 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither Chelsea nor Blackburn Rovers has been convincing defensively this season and both teams could be backed to score at 57/50 with Unibet. Rovers have seen over 3.5 goals in all three of their Carabao Cup matches and a repeat is priced at 31/20 by Paddy Power.
With Chelsea priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win both years to score could be priced at 2/1 with bet365.
This EFL Cup match between Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers will be played on Nov 1, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Blackburn Rovers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.