As they prepare for a FA Youth Cup semi-final first leg at Blackburn tonight, confidence in the Chelsea Academy is running high.

The lads have progressed to a second semi in three seasons, with strong performances against Charlton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and Watford along the way. Goalkeeper Sam Walker has conceded just once in those four matches, and has been impressed with his team-mates' defending.

'None of the teams have really troubled us, I made one save against Portsmouth and a couple against Forest but not major things,' said the 6ft 5in 18-year-old.

'The last game against Watford in the quarter-final was probably the quietest of all, but not letting in goals is a massive thing because we always tend to score one or two, so we've always said in our team meetings if we don't concede we will do well.'

Walker has been aided by a strong defence that includes Jeffrey Bruma, a regular part of the first team training setup.

'The lads in front are brilliant, we've got a really strong defensive unit going, with Danny Mills Pappoe at the back, still a schoolboy, doing really well for us and Jeffrey comes in with his first-team experience, which is brilliant and they complement each other really well,' Walker explained. 'Then we have two quick, attack-minded full-backs in Aziz Deen-Conteh and Billy Clifford, who put it in too, and have prevented a lot coming through to me.'

Blackburn are expected to offer a sterner examination, but coach Dermot Drummy has done his homework on the opposition.

'We played them in the first game of the season and lost 1-0 but I thought we did really well in that game. They've beaten Man United 3-0 and Everton in the last round, though that game could have gone either way to be fair, but they will be robust, and will cause us problems if we let them play, so we intend to go there and take the game to them,' he confirmed.

'It's a semi-final so it's going to be tough, and we have to make sure mentally we turn up on the night.

'We have done really well with preparing, and [reserve team coach] Steve Holland has been brilliant. He has helped out giving us boys when we need them, trying to get us two days clear to train, which is really nice. Ray Wilkins has been to every game which is fantastic for the boys, and it's a nice vibrancy around the place. We just hope the players can deliver over the two legs.'

If Walker's demeanour is anything to go by, they certainly believe they can.

'We've got our stuff on Blackburn and are pretty confident as we have been throughout the whole competition that we can beat anyone on our day, we've matched Arsenal and all the big sides, and I genuinely think we have every chance of winning it,' he said.

Tonight's match is live on Chelsea TV, Sky channel 421, from 6.15pm.

The second leg on Monday 22 March will also be broadcast, but if you can make it along to Stamford Bridge that night why not come along and show your support? Please note there is a maximum 3,000 tickets available for the second leg, so supporters are advised to buy tickets early to avoid disappointment.