Walsall vs Chelsea preview: Tickets, team news, line ups and odds

Momentum: Chelsea come into their game with Walsall having won two games in a row for the first time this season
BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
Vaishali Bhardwaj23 September 2015

Chelsea kick-start their defence of the Capital One Cup with a trip to Walsall on Wednesday night as Jose Mourinho's side aim to maintain their momentum following their London derby win over Arsenal on Saturday.

The Premier League champions seemingly put a halt to their stuttering start to the new season after beating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League last week before overcoming the Gunners in a controversial game at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.

The clash saw Arsenal pair Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla sent off, but it was Diego Costa who stole the headlines after he was involved in Gabriel's dismissal before the striker was subsequently charged by the FA for violent conduct for an earlier incident with Laurent Koscielny.

If Costa accepts the ban, he will definitely miss Chelsea's League Cup game with Walsall, but the home side will still come into the match with Mourinho's men on a high.

The club currently sit in second place in the League One table and knocked out Nottingham Forest and Brighton on their way to the third-round tie with Chelsea - although the Blues will still be favourites to triumph on Wednesday.

But what else do fans need to know ahead of the game in midweek? Read on to find out when and where the game is taking place, betting odds and probable teams...

Chelsea vs Arsenal - player ratings

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Date, time and venue

Chelsea's third-round League Cup match takes place on Wednesday 23 September at 7:45pm at the Banks' Stadium, which holds 11,300 people.

Where to watch

The match will not be shown live, but fans can catch up with all the action on Sky Sports 1 at 12:45am on Thursday morning and later throughout the day.

Tickets

Tickets for Chelsea fans have now sold out, but there are limited tickets for home fans who have been to Walsall matches before. Phone the club's official ticketing service on 01922-651 414/416 to find out more.

Bench: John Terry has been omitted from Chelsea's last two matchday squads
IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images

Team news

Mourinho is expected to make changes to his starting line-up to face Walsall, with skipper John Terry set to return to Chelsea's back line after missing the club's last two games.

The defender has been forced to warm the bench as Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill have been preferred in front of Asmir Begovic, but Terry will have the chance to lead the team once more on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has also revealed he will start Radamel Falcao up front in attack as he leaves Costa on the bench with Loic Remy expected to feature against Walsall at some point in the game.

Possible Chelsea starting XI: Begovic, Azpilicueta, Terry, Cahill, Baba Rahman, Loftus-Cheek, Fabregas, Pedro, Oscar, Hazard, Falcao.

Possible Walsall starting XI: Etheridge, Taylor, O'Connor, Downing, Chambers, Henry, Demetriou, Flanagan, Mantom, Sawyers, Bradshaw.

Underdogs: Walsall midfielder Romaine Sawyers believes the club can cause an upset against Chelsea
Alex Livesey/Getty Images

What they're saying

Chelsea manager Mourinho: "I saw some things back in the team, some qualities, but the same way two defeats don't kill a team, I don't think two victories bring the team to the top. Let's go match after match and try to get a result on Wednesday."

Walsall midfielder Romaine Sawyers: "We can show our excitement now. We've had league games since the draw was made, but now we can focus on Chelsea. We're the underdogs but we'll try to show the belief that we have in the camp. If we cause an upset, it would be a massive boost for everyone at the club. We’ve got to believe that it can happen."

Betting odds (William Hill)

Chelsea to win: 2/5

Walsall to win: 7

Draw: 7/2

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