After trips to Rome and Blackburn, The Blues are back at the Bridge for a sold-out cup tie that will be decided on the night. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton preview the fourth round football.

TALKING POINTS
Oh! the magic of cup football: the plucky underdog preaching defiance, and a great sideshow story concerning the undergarments of one of their players. But enough about Roma and Francesco Totti's lycra. Tonight, it's 'muck and nettles' and Burnley in the Carling Cup, not Handel's music and the exotic locations of the Champions League.

The underpants diversion comes from Burnley player Robbie Blake's celebration after his goals against Coventry and Reading at the end of last month.

On both occasions Blake (pictured below) dropped his shorts to reveal red Y-fronts emblazoned with a curious motto concerning his ill-fortune when playing poker: 'Bad Beat Bob'.

It might have come across as one of those joyously spontaneous moments that make the Football League what it is. However, that impression was dashed when his Reading strike was accompanied by a message flashed on Burnley's big screen, indicating that the official replica 'lucky pants' were already available from the club shop at £8.99. (By the way, how long had they previously remained 'unlucky' on the shelf? It was the striker's first home goal since March.)

Oddly enough there are Burnley and Coventry connections to Chelsea's only known underwear incident as well. Frank Sinclair inexplicably dropped his shorts after scoring our opening goal in August 1997 - at City's Highfield Road ground. Frank, of course, also plied his trade at Turf Moor between 2004 and 2007.  

KEY STAT The last occasion we played Burnley in a competitive game was two-and-a-half years before John Terry was born.

Cynicism apart, Blake bloomers will inevitably add to the carnival apparel of the Clarets' impressive 6,000 travelling fans, some of whom intend to wear their knickers Superman-style, over their proper clothes.

Expect plenty of ironic flat caps in the Shed End too, as the Lancastrians make the most of their first visit to the Fulham Road since December 1982. It should all produce a cracking atmosphere.

Burnley are a Championship side, fifth in the table after 16 games. In recent years Chelsea had laid to rest the spectre of dipping out of cups to lower league opposition, a habit that had sporadically haunted the club for decades, right up to League Cup defeat by Huddersfield at the Bridge in 1999.

The loss to Barnsley in last season's FA Cup showed that complacency is still the enemy of consistency. Burnley beat Liverpool in the 2004/5 FA Cup.

If the scores are level after 90 minutes tonight, 30 minutes of extra time will be played. If there is still no winner, the tie will be decided on penalties.

Other League Cup ties this evening
Sunderland v Blackburn - 7.45pm
Tottenham v Liverpool - 7.45pm

The draw for the Carling Cup fifth round will be live on SkySports' 'Soccer Saturday' around 12.15pm.

Click here to buy the online matchday programme

TACTICAL BRIEF
For our 4-0 win at Portsmouth in the previous round of this cup, Felipe Scolari indicated that he was taking the chase for silverware seriously. He retained Petr Cech in goal, along with the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack, and drafted in Didier Drogba after injury.

At the same time he handed Branislav Ivanovic his first-team debut and brought on youngsters Franco Di Santo and Scott Sinclair. Will non-Premier League opposition see the Brazilian give a few more regulars a rest tonight?

Owen Coyle has successfully mixed up his formations this season, sometimes using a single holding midfielder behind a middle three, and often playing one forward behind a sole frontman.

He has selection problems over key players going into this game, however, that may restrict his options. Regular striker Steve Thompson is ruled out because he played for previous club Cardiff earlier in this competition, and influential central defender Clarke Carlisle if suspended.

There are fitness queries too over Christian Kalvenes (leg injury) and fellow defender Remco van der Schaaf (virus), and forward Alex MacDonald (virus).

Uppermost will be who will partner skipper Stephen Caldwell at the back, with northern Irishman Michael Duff the obvious choice. Stephen Jordan is their regular left-back.

It seems likely that he will use Chris McCann and the experienced sharpshooter Joey Gudjonsson in central midfield, although right back Graham Alexander, a set-piece specialist, can also play there.

Dribbling winger Wade Elliott should feature on the right, and former Manchester United man Chris Eagles wide left. Eagles played here in the Mancs' 0-0 draw back in May 2007, and was booked.

Young goalscorer Martin Paterson will probably step in as Burnley's lead striker, with Robbie Blake playing just behind him. However, Coyle can draw on seasoned strikers Ade Akinbiyi and Alan Mahon if needs be. Akinbiyi was part of the Leicester squad that beat Chelsea home and away in 2000/1, and Mahon faced the Blues with Wigan.

Keeper Brian Jensen has not conceded a goal so far in three rounds of the Carling Cup.

WE HAVE HISTORY
Chelsea and Burnley have never met in the League Cup although we have been drawn together in the FA Cup on four occasions, with the Blues winning on each occasion.

The most famous tie, in January/February 1956, stretched over 19 days and nine hours of play before Chelsea beat the Clarets 2-0 in the fourth replay. The Mirror suggested that winger Jim Lewis's winner had brought to an end a five-game 'trial-by-exhaustion' against the ultra-defensive Clarets.

Our previous FA Cup encounters

1926/27	(5)	Chelsea 2 Burnley 1
1955/56	(4)	Burnley 1 Chelsea 1
	(R)	Chelsea 1 Burnley 1 aet
	(2R)	Burnley 2 Chelsea 2 aet at St Andrews
	(3R)	Burnley 0 Chelsea 0 aet at Highbury
	(4R)	Burnley 0 Chelsea 2 at White Hart Lane
1969/70	(4)	Chelsea 2 Burnley 2
	(R)	Burnley 1 Chelsea 3
1977/78	(4)	Chelsea 6 Burnley 2

That most recent encounter on Tuesday 31 January 1978 was also memorable. The game had been postponed from the previous Saturday because of a waterlogged pitch.

The previous round was the historic 4-2 victory against Liverpool, who were League and European champions at the time and a confident young Chelsea side, whose forwards had 'suddenly come to life like an erupting volcano' (Daily Mail), now hit six against the visitors.

It was the third time since New Year's Eve they had scored five or more in a game. Burnley actually took a shock lead in the first minute through Paul Fletcher's header from a set play but Mickey Droy, unusually, beat their offside trap four minutes later to level, and after half-an-hour it was 3-1.

Star of the show was young winger Clive Walker, who skipped through Burnley's midfield and slammed in a long-range fourth, and the score finished 6-2.

Playing alongside Walker for Chelsea back then was Ian Britton. Later in his career the frizzy-haired Scot (pictured below) joined Burnley, and he is credited with scoring the winner against Leyton Orient in 1987 that saved them from relegation.

Coincidentally, Walker is held in similar esteem by Blues fans for his life-saving strike at Bolton in 1983.

Hopefully both will be back at the Bridge tonight.

The teams in 1978
Chelsea Peter Bonetti, Gary Locke, Ron Harris, Ian Britton, Mickey Droy, Steve Wicks, Steve Finnieston, Ray Wilkins (c), Tommy Langley, Kenny Swain, Clive Walker. Scorers: Droy (4), Wicks (19), Swain (28 pen), Walker (57), Langley (75), Wilkins (76).
Burnley Alan Stevenson, Derek Scott, Ian Brennan, Peter Noble (c), Jim Thomson, Billy Rodaway, Terry Cochrane, Billy Ingham, Paul Fletcher, Steve Kindon, Keith Newton (Tony Morley). Scorers: Paul Fletcher (29 seconds), Steve Kindon (78).
Crowd 32,168.

Chelsea paid a visit to Turf Moor managed by Stan Ternent for a pre-season friendly in 2001. The Blues won 2-1 in front of almost 9,000 with goals from Mario Stanic and a Frank Lampard penalty. Ian Moore (pictured below) replied for the Clarets.

Chelsea are undefeated against Burnley at Stamford Bridge in all competitions in six games (five wins, one draw). The Clarets last win here was on Monday 26 April 1971 when Steve Kindon scored the only goal in the old First Division.

The game was the second of three in five days. Two days earlier on the Saturday we beat Coventry 2-1 and on the Wednesday following the Burnley game we had to travel to Maine Road to play Manchester City in the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final second leg.

City's keeper Ron Healey scored an own goal to put us through to the final 2-0 on aggregate.

Chelsea v Burnley in all competitions
Games played 87
Chelsea wins 30
Burnley wins 36
Draws 21

Most recent two meetings
Dec 4 1982 old Second Division
Chelsea..........2 Burnley..........1
Droy                     Laws
Speedie                  Att: 8,184

Apr 23 1983 old Second Division
Burnley...........3 Chelsea..........0
Hamilton 2         
Donovan pen        Att: 7,393

Biggest win at Stamford Bridge for each team
21/09/1957  Chelsea 6-1 Burnley
22/10/1960  Chelsea 2-6 Burnley

CHELSEA STATS
Chelsea won the League Cup in 1965, 1998, 2005 and 2007.

2008/09 League Cup result
Sep 24 (3) Portsmouth A W 4-0 Lampard 2 (1 pen), Malouda, Kalou

Previous five seasons in the League Cup
2003/04  Quarter-final - lost to Aston Villa away
2004/05  Winners - beat Liverpool in Cardiff
2005/06  3rd round - lost to Charlton at home on penalties
2006/07  Winners - beat Arsenal in Cardiff
2007/08  Runners-up - lost to Tottenham at Wembley

Chelsea's defeat in the final against Tottenham is our only reverse in normal or extra time in 20 League Cup matches since Aston Villa beat us in the quarter-final in December 2003. In 2005, after a 1-1 draw after extra time, Charlton progressed to the fourth round via a penalty shoot-out.

Chelsea's most recent six games

Oct 22	Roma H	W 1-0 Champions League
Oct 26	Liverpool H	L 0-1
Oct 29	Hull A	W 3-0
Nov 1	Sunderland H	W 5-0
Nov 4	Roma A	L 1-3 Champions League
Nov 9	Blackburn A	W 2-0

2008/09 scorers
Anelka 11, Lampard 8 (2 pens), Malouda 4, J Cole 3, Kalou 3, Belletti 2, Deco 2, Terry 2, Alex 1, Bosingwa 1, Carvalho 1, own goal 1 (Wheater, Middlesbrough). Total 39.

BURNLEY STATS
2008/09 League Cup results

Aug 12	(1) Bury A	W 2-0 Paterson 2
Aug 26	(2) Oldham H	W 3-0 McCann, Paterson 2
Sep 23	(3) Fulham H	W 1-0 Rodriguez

The defeat at Molyneux was Burnley's first in six games since October 4th and the first they have failed to score since the end of August (13 matches).

Burnley have never won the League Cup although they have reached the semi-finals in 1961, 1969 and 1983.

Last five seasons in the League Cup
2003/04  Third round - lost away to Wolves
2004/05  Fourth round - lost at home to Tottenham
2005/06  Third round - lost away to Aston Villa
2006/07  First round - lost at home to Hartlepool
2007/08  Third round - lost at home to Portsmouth

The last occasion the Clarets progressed beyond the fourth round was in 1982/83 when they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Liverpool.


MOST RECENT LINE-UP
Sat Nov 8, 2008 Wolves (away) L 0-2
Lost to a top of the table Wolves side including Chelsea's on-loan Michael Mancienne.

Jensen Alexander     Carlisle       Caldwell (c)       Jordan  Elliott      Gudjonsson     McCann        Eagles      Blake       Thompson   Substitutes Rodriguez for Thompson (63), Paterson for Blake (67) McDonald for Gudjonsson (74) Sent off Carlisle 80

Burnley's last six games

Oct 18	Birmingham H	D 1-1
Oct 21	Coventry A	W 3-1
Oct 25	Charlton A	D 1-1
Oct 28	Reading H	W 1-0
Nov 1	Norwich H	W 2-0
Nov 8	Wolves A	L 0-2

2008/09 scorers
Paterson 7, Alexander 4 (3 pens), Eagles 4, McCann 3, Blake 2, Gudjonsson 2, Caldwell 1, Duff 1, Elliott 1, Rodriguez 1, Thompson 1. Total 27.

Coca-Cola Championship league table

Top		P	GD	PTS
1	Wolves	16	14	37
2	Birmingham	16	8	31
3	Reading	16	20	30
4	Sheffield Utd	16	11	28
5	Burnley	16	1	26
6	Cardiff	16	5	25
7	QPR	16	1	25

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The referee is Keith Stroud. He is taking charge of a Chelsea match for the first time.

OTHERWISE ENGAGED
Burnley's Clarke Carlisle is suspended following his red card on Saturday. Steven Thompson is cup-tied.