Carling Cup Preview: Chelsea vs Fulham

In what is being billed as one of the high voltage clashes of the third round of Carling Cup , Chelsea entertain Fulham to Stamford Bridge to kickstart their Cup campaign on a winning note and would be eager to erase the memories of the bizarre drama which unfolded at Old Trafford on Sunday . League Cup has always been special in the minds of the Chelsea faithful as a triumph in this competition started a glorious era under the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich . And with 2 League Cup triumphs and a runners up spot in the last 6 years , it can easily be understood how much importance this competition holds for Chelsea .

time for a comeback!

Chelsea have started the season with some mixed results . While their opening few games were impressive enough ,yet a 1-3 loss at the hands of Manchester United dented their progress . Chelsea fans can take solace in the fact that Chelsea were marginally better overall and sans Manchester United’s rampaging strike force , they managed to eke them out in the overall battle . But a stuttering form in front of goal is definitely a cause of worry for Andre Villas Boas who would be boosted by the news of Drogba’s imminent return to the team . We can expect Drogba to play atleast some part in the game . The competiton is also a wonderful opportunity for Chelsea youngsters like Josh McEachran , Oriel Romeu and Ryan Bertrand to get a few games and impress the Chelsea gaffer who is not shy of making bold decisions .

Fulham on the other hand faces a dilemma . With their season starting early , Martin Jol has rightly pointed out that Carling Cup is nothing but a distraction . With their season yet to take off and with the squad stuttering at the wrong end of the table , Jol feels for a squad like Fulham’s, battling on all fronts is just not possible.

He added : “I would not say it is one too many if you don’t play in Europe, but it is certainly one too many if you play in other competitions” . But he also reiterated the fact that League Cup is there for teams like Fulham to win and for some it might be their only chance of silverware .

Martin Jol would be ringing in the changes like AVB except he doesn’t have a great bench to choose from . A second string Chelsea side would still be capable of challenging the best and hence its difficult to fathom how Fulham can get past their West London rivals .