The reserve line-up for tonight's game against Stoke has been announced, and as expected Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini both start up front.

Borini, 18, had been struggling with illness in the lead-up to the game, as had defender Jeffrey Bruma, but both play in the behind-closed-doors encounter at Cobham, live on Chelsea TV, with Bruma likely to be tried out at right-back.

Patrick van Aanholt also returns to the side after his successful month on loan at Newcastle, while Gael Kakuta starts in his familiar number 10 role.

Reserve team manager Steve Holland's life is never easy, constantly juggling players who can be involved at either youth or first team levels.

'It is up and down all the time,' Holland told the official Chelsea website on Tuesday. 'My group is three tiers. There is a core of four to six reserve players who have pretty much always been with me, who haven't been out on loan, then there is half a dozen youth players with me most of the time, but as soon as the FA Youth Cup kicks in go back to Dermot Drummy, and then at the top of the group I've got another six, the likes of which I have just mentioned, who are with Carlo more often than not, particularly when there are a couple of injuries like there have been in the last few weeks.

'It's always changing, and the team that played in the last league game against West Ham will bear no resemblance to that which will play on Wednesday, it will almost be two different teams. Whatever team we put out will always have good players, whether they're young ones or even younger ones.'

Tonight represents a chance to make amends for November's narrow defeat against the Potters, when an injury-time Diego Arismendi goal earned a 3-2 Stoke win at Nantwich Town.

Stoke's side this evening is entirely Academy-based, with their first time also in action away at Burnley.

Now the Chelsea second string is without a win in three after consecutive defeats against West Ham, Arsenal and Aston Villa, making three points all the more important.

Chelsea team to face Stoke: Rhys Taylor; Jeffrey Bruma, Carl Magnay, Danny Mills Pappoe, Patrick van Aanholt; Liam Bridcutt, Jacob Mellis, Nemanja Matic, Gael Kakuta; Fabio Borini, Daniel Sturridge.

Subs: Jan Sebek (gk), Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Jacopo Sala, Conor Clifford, Marko Mitrovic.

You can tune in tonight from 7pm on Chelsea TV on Sky channel 421, the only place to see all the action in full.