Chelsea vs. Everton, League Cup: Confirmed lineups

This mid-week brings us some fresh, crisp, Carabao Cup action with Chelsea welcoming the (permanent) manager-less Everton to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea starting line-up (3-4-3): Caballero | Cahill (c), Christensen, Rudiger | Kenedy, Ampadu, Drinkwater, Zappacosta | Willian, Batshuayi, Musonda Jr.

Substitutes from: Eduardo, Sterling, Scott, Clarke-Salter, Fabregas, Pedro, Morata

Everton starting line-up (4-3-3): Pickford | Baines, Jagielka, Williams, Kenny | McCarthy, Baningme, Davies | Mirallas, Rooney, Lennon

Substitutes from: Robles, Keane, Sigurdsson, Niasse, Calvert-Lewin, Holgate, Lookman

Date / Time: Wednesday, October 25, 19:45 BST; 2:45pm EDT; 12:15am IST (next day)

Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6

Referee: Neil Swarbrick — Swarbrick is back for the first time since the final matchday of last season, when Chelsea lifted the Premier League trophy. Chelsea have never lost a game refereed by Swarbrick in 14 previous tries, winning the last eight in a row.

On TV: none (UK); none (USA); none (India); elsewhere

Streaming online: ESPN3 (USA); BBC Radio 5 Live, talkSport 2 (UK radio); ChelseaTV (int’l radio)

Antonio Conte has certainly rung in the changes for this fixture, handing 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu and summer acquisition Danny Drinkwater their full Chelsea debuts. Ampadu was the first substitute off the bench versus Nottingham Forest and trains with the first-team on occasion, hence it comes as no huge surprise that Antonio Conte has chosen to start the youngster, who has already tasted senior football with his previous club, Exeter City. Drinkwater, on the other hand, was all but ruled out by Conte to be fit enough for this game but here he is, finally making his first appearance for the club since signing on deadline day.

Charly Musonda and Kenedy start, as previously confirmed by Conte, while academy youngster Dujon Sterling and fringe first-teamers Jake Clarke-Salter and Kyle Scott make the bench. Everton field one debutant of their own in 19-year-old Beni Baningime and feature young Jonjoe Kenny at right-back, in what is otherwise a squad of senior players.

Hopefully this round of the Carabao Cup will go just as well as it did in the last one for Chelsea, enabling a full-fledged ‘Academy Day’.