Chelsea will begin their EFL Cup campaign at home to Luton Town on Thursday night, with Xabi Alonso’s side looking to build on their opening-day Premier League win over Fulham.
Luton, meanwhile, have made a positive start to life in League One under Jack Wilshere and will be hoping to produce a major upset at Stamford Bridge.
This is only Chelsea’s third EFL Cup second-round tie since the start of the 21st century. They won the previous two, beating Bristol Rovers 3-2 in 2016-17 and AFC Wimbledon 2-1 in 2023-24.
The Blues have also progressed from 27 of their last 28 EFL Cup ties against teams from outside the top flight. Their only elimination during that run came against Burnley on penalties in 2008.
Luton will arrive at Stamford Bridge in good spirits after making an unbeaten start to the new campaign.
Wilshere’s side ended last season with a 12-game unbeaten run across all competitions and have followed that up with two wins and a draw this term.
The Hatters came from behind to beat Reading 4-3 on the opening weekend before drawing 2-2 with Notts County last Saturday. New signing Callum Marshall scored his first goal for the club in that match.
Luton also progressed from the opening round of the EFL Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Gillingham.
Team news for Chelsea vs Luton
Chelsea remain without Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha due to wrist and hamstring injuries respectively.
Moises Caicedo, Marco Palestra and Aaron Anselmino will all be assessed after missing Monday’s win over Fulham.
Alonso is expected to rotate his team heavily and could hand full debuts to Danny Welbeck, Valentin Barco, Pep Chavarria and goalkeeper Mike Penders.
Geovany Quenda, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto will all be pushing for starting places, while Enzo Fernandez’s involvement remains uncertain amid continued transfer speculation.
Luton will be without Jordan Clark after the midfielder suffered a broken jaw against Notts County. Shaydon Morris is also sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Shandon Baptiste remains out with a knee injury.
Sverre Sandal or Hakeem Odoffin could therefore come into midfield alongside Liam Walsh and Kasey Palmer.
Expected line-ups for Chelsea vs Luton
Chelsea: Penders; Acheampong, Lacroix, Fofana; Palestra, Lavia, Barco, Chavarria; Neto, Estevao; Welbeck.
Luton Town: Shea; Ashby, Anderson, Johnston, Naismith; Walsh, Odoffin, Palmer; Jones, Marshall, Lawrence.
How to watch Chelsea vs Luton: TV channel, online stream
Chelsea vs Luton takes place at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, August 27. Kick-off is at 19:30 BST and fans can watch the match on Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event, plus streaming options are available on Sky Go and NOW TV.
The stats for Chelsea vs Luton
- Chelsea have won their last five meetings with Luton.
- Luton have failed to win any of their last six competitive visits to Stamford Bridge.
- Chelsea have progressed from 27 of their last 28 EFL Cup ties against teams from outside the Premier League.
- Luton have been eliminated from eight of their last nine EFL Cup ties against Premier League opposition.
- Luton have scored nine goals across their opening three matches of the season.
- Chelsea have not won the EFL Cup since 2015.
Prediction
Luton have shown plenty of attacking threat during the opening weeks of the season and should be capable of testing Chelsea’s defence.
However, Alonso has enough depth in his squad to make several changes without significantly weakening the side. Chelsea’s attacking quality should ultimately prove too much for their League One opponents.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Luton Town
