Chelsea are aiming to avoid becoming the third team to suffer a shock against Cardiff City in this season’s EFL Cup when the Premier League side visit the Bluebirds on Tuesday.
The hosts are top of League One and have won 2-1 at top-flight strugglers Burnley and Championship club Wrexham in their last two ties in the competition.
The Blues, who have won the EFL Cup five times, ended a four-match winless run in all competitions with a 2-0 victory at home to Everton on Saturday.
101GreatGoals.com has full team news from Cardiff vs Chelsea in the EFL Cup. You can also follow live text updates and stats from the match here.
Cardiff starting lineup vs Chelsea
Rubin Colwill won the player of the round award for Cardiff’s win at Wrexham but the 23-year-old Wales attacking midfielder is out following ankle surgery, while defender Ronan Kpakio is suspended for two bookings in this season’s competition.
Ollie Tanner has returned to full training after being out for four months with an ankle injury sustained when he hit an advertising hoarding at AFC Wimbledon, but the winger is not expected to play until January.
With the scoreline 2-2, Barry-Murphy made a triple change in Cardiff’s 4-3 home league win over lowly Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, bringing on defenders Dylan Lawlor and Perry Ng and forward Chris Willock for Will Fish, Kpakio and Isaak Davies.
Cardiff prevailed through a 99th-minute goal by left-back Joel Bagan, and their boss is certain to want to see his side tighten up considerably from that display.
Cardiff City starting 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 can do what we’ve been doing all season’ 💪@CardiffCityFC ’s Callum Robinson discusses his side’s sell-out #CarabaoCup clash with @ChelseaFC 🏆#EFL pic.twitter.com/yGNCTMg4qh
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) December 16, 2025
Chelsea starting lineup vs Cardiff City
Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer scored his first goal since September in the win over Everton, but Maresca has rested the England forward as part of a season interrupted by a groin injury.
“We have a number of players who need to be protected,” explained Maresca, adding that Palmer “should be fine” for the league trip to Newcastle on Saturday.
“The target is to protect them and manage them. Cole is one of the players who deserves to be protected right now. In this moment, he’s not available to play two games in three days.”
Dario Essugo is not risked as the midfielder recovers from a thigh issue.
Defender Levi Colwill (knee), midfielder Romeo Lavia (thigh) and forward Liam Delap (who would have been suspended and has a shoulder issue) are injured.
Moises Caicedo returns as captain after completing a three-match league ban. Winger Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended indefinitely.
Chelsea starting 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
How to watch Cardiff v Chelsea: TV channel, live online stream
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra.
Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £28 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Sky Sports memberships include access to all 12 live Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+, which offers live streams and a dedicated channel.
Streaming is available on a vast variety of devices via the Sky GO app.
Cardiff City v Chelsea stats
- Cardiff have won their last five league matches, scoring at least three goals in four of those games
- Their tally of 32 goals in this season’s third tier is the best by four, while their goal difference is six superior to any other side
- No player has scored more goals in the 2025/26 division than Yousef Salech, who has one more goal and assist combined than any other player in League One and opened his account in this season’s EFL Cup with the first goal of the game against Wrexham
- City have had the most shots on target (32) of any team in this season’s EFL Cup and average the most accurate attempts per 90 minutes of any club in the quarter-finals (8)
- They have lost all five of their meetings with Chelsea – four in the Premier League, one in the FA Cup – since a 2-1 EFL Cup home win in October 1986, when they suffered a last-16 defeat at Shrewsbury Town in their subsequent tie
- Only Crystal Palace (16) have taken more away points in this season’s Premier League than Chelsea (14), whose two EFL Cup wins have come away to Wolves and League One club Lincoln City
- Before their defeat at Newcastle in last season’s fourth round, Chelsea had reach the EFL Cup final in two of the previous three campaigns, losing to Liverpool on both occasions
- Aside from Queens Park Rangers (21.9), Chelsea have the youngest average player age in the 2025/26 EFL Cup (22.3)
- Blues winger Jamie Gittens and Cardiff’s Rubin Colwill are among the 15 players to have assisted twice during the first four rounds, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Tom Watson – whose side lost to Arsenal in round four – the only player to have set up three goals
- Only Liverpool (10), Manchester City (8) and Manchester United (6) have won the EFL Cup more times than Chelsea (5)
Do EFL Cup ties go to extra time, replays and penalties?
Should they finish level after 90 minutes, EFL Cup ties go straight to penalties until the semi-finals, which take place over two legs.
If the scoreline is level after the second leg, extra time and – if necessary – penalties are used to separate teams.
The final is a one-off match at Wembley Stadium, with extra time and penalties used if required.
Liverpool beat Chelsea 11-10 on penalties in the 2021/22 final and edged the same fixture after extra time in 2023/24 through Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute winner.
EFL Cup quarter-final draw: Fixtures, schedule, TV channels
Here are the quarter-final fixtures and how to watch. All times are GMT.
Tuesday, December 16
Cardiff City vs Chelsea (20:00, Sky Sports Football)
Wednesday, December 17
Manchester City vs Brentford (19:30, Sky Sports Football)
Newcastle vs Fulham (20:15, Sky Sports Main Event and ITV)
Tuesday, December 23
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (20:00, Sky Sports Football and ITV)
EFL Cup dates 2025/26: When are the Carabao Cup round dates?
Round one started during the second week of the EFL season. A new preliminary round also took place in late July between the two clubs promoted from the National League last season and the teams who finished 21st and 22nd in League Two.
EFL Cup semi-final first leg
January 12, 2026
EFL Cup semi-final second leg
February 2, 2026
EFL Cup final
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Do the EFL Cup winners qualify for Europe?
The EFL Cup winners receive a place in the play-off stage of the UEFA Conference League unless they qualify through another route for European competition.
Newcastle were an example of the rule in action in 2024/25, instead qualifying for the Champions League through their league position.
That meant their Conference League play-off place went to the next-highest ranked team who had not qualified for European competition via their league position.
Carabao Cup: When is the draw for the EFL Cup semi finals?
The draw will take place on Wednesday, December 17 after the quarter-final between the Magpies and the Cottagers.
What time is the EFL Cup semi final draw?
The game at St James’ Park kicks off at 20:15 GMT (15:15 ET / 12:15 PT), which means the draw is likely to take place at approximately 22:35 GMT (17:35 ET / 14:35 PT), depending on added time and whether spot kicks are required.
The draw will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event, which is broadcasting live games in the Carabo Cup in the UK.
EFL Cup fourth round results 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 round fixtures, results 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 round fixtures, results 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 round one fixtures, results 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 round fixtures, results
Tuesday, July 29
Barnet 2-2 (2-4p) Newport County
