Chelsea open their League Cup campaign on Wednesday against Bolton, at a game which will be played at Stamford Bridge. Frankly, that's about all I really feel the need to write on this particular competition, but I suppose I can manage another paragraph and a few notes anyway.
Steve Holland handled the presser today because Jose Mourinho couldn't be bothered, and mentioned that the squad will be rotated, and that we actually care (as a club) about this competition. I don't believe him about the caring part, you probably don't believe him about the caring part, and most of us probably won't see this match anyway. Regardless, here's what you need to know ahead of the match:
Opponent: Bolton Wanderers
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
Date/time: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 19:45 local time
Chelsea squad news: Diego Costa is 'almost fit', and Mourinho has already stated that he's not expected to play. The Blues will also be without the services of Ramires, who picked up a minor injury in the weekend contest against Manchester City.
Chelsea predicted XI*: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Zouma, Luis, Mikel, Baker, Salah, Oscar, Schurrle, Remy
*I have no idea what to expect from Jose Mourinho this week, including whether or not he'll show up for the match
Bolton squad news: Bolton will have a pair of new faces available, and not too many injuries to worry about. Kevin McNaughton will not be available due to ongoing injury problems, but Chris Herd and Max Clayton might both be looking at debuts for the Wanderers. With the squad playing awful football at the moment, I'm not sure anyone really knows what to expect from Dougie Freedman. Here's my stab at it though:
Bolton predicted XI**: Kenny, Moxey, Mills, Ream, Herd, Danns, Pratley, M Davies, Spearing, Lee, Beckford
**I know nothing at all about this season's Bolton squad, so this is likely even more of a shot in the dark than my Chelsea prediction
Television and streaming: I hope you've got a subscription to Chelsea TV, because you're unlikely to see this one live if you don't. Think anyone actually cares about the League Cup?