This evening Chelsea welcome back Southampton, defeated 3-1 in the league at the start of the month. A positive outcome in the Carabao Cup, domestic football’s shortest road to glory, would bring successive home wins for the Blues against the Saints for the first time since 2017.

Twelve of the 16 teams remaining in contention to lift the tri-handled trophy are from the Premier League, and 10 of those face a fellow top-flight team in this fourth round of matches. Nine of those left are previous winners, including three of the five who have had most success in the competition, Chelsea among them.

The Blues, London’s first and most recent winners of the League Cup, last lifted it seven season ago. Southampton were runners-up in 1978/79 and 2016/17.

Chelsea team news

‘But where will the goals come from?’ was a media mantra after injuries deprived the Blues of the attacking talents of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. Well, the outstanding 7-0 victory over Norwich was one way to answer and hopefully there will be another this evening in the Carabao Cup.

Our record score against the Canaries was the highest against any opponent under Thomas Tuchel. Mason Mount opened his season account with his first hat-trick in our royal blue, joining Callum Hudson-Odoi to take our tally of goalscorers this season to 17. Only seven outfield players have yet to hit the target and, after Edou Mendy added sliding tackles to his repertoire, his contribution at the other end may only be a matter of time!

Given the level of opposition and the need to keep the squad contributing as they are, we are unlikely to see many young faces on debut, though the five substitutes allowed give both coaches some leeway.Tuchel is likely to use the less stressful occasion to bring in underused players to hone form or fitness and share the workload. Malang Sarr, Saul and Ross Barkley could use more minutes and Kepa Arrizabalaga seems set to don his tournament gloves tonight. We already know his prowess on penalties should it come to that.

The Blues are next in action on Saturday afternoon at St James’ Park and Tuchel will probably feel okay about picking more regular starters who did not begin the game against Norwich, such as Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Given the unavailability of alternative strikers at present he will monitor Kai Havertz’s well-being. It was interesting to see Ross Barkley replace the German against Norwich and assume the same role.

Saints shuffled

Southampton, despite conceding two goals in Saturday’s home league draw with goal-shy Burnley, look to have stabilised the defence that shipped 68 goals last season.

The occasional 0-9 deluge was collateral damage for the relentless heavy pressing Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team attempted. They now pick their moments for the forward players to apply the pressure, leaving the rearguard less regularly exposed. Their new compactness at the back also earned points against Leeds, the Manchester clubs and West Ham.

With Jack Stephens injured and Jannik Vestergaard departed, Jan Bednarek and Mohammed Salisu have stepped into the heart of the backline. Right-back Tino Livramento, who left the Blues in the summer, has also earned good reviews from the Saints faithful.

The Brazilian Lyanco, a summer recruit, could be given another chance tonight following his debut in the previous round, despite an error leading to Sheffield United’s second.

Conceding 12 this season is a decent total for a team in the bottom half of the Premier League, and it is goals-for where the current problems have laid for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Armando Broja, the Hampshire club’s co-leading scorer so far this season, is ineligible under the regulations of his loan this evening. He has played the past few games at the expense of previous incumbent, Adam Armstrong. Like Broja, Mohamed Elyounoussi has notched four times, but three of those came against League Two Newport in this competition. Ex-Celtic forward Elyounoussi will also miss out, though, after undergoing a hand operation.

Hasenhuttl faces one further selection headache as James Ward-Prowse, shown red after levelling from the spot in the league game at the Bridge, remains suspended. Ibrahima Diallo has taken the set-play specialist’s place up to now.

The Austrian coach has hinted at several more changes this evening and has Saturday’s upcoming six-pointer to factor in. The Saints, currently 16th, travel to Watford, two places and two points above, who beat Everton 5-2 at the weekend.

How to follow Chelsea-Southampton

This match will not be covered live in the UK but highlights and the full game will be available on demand on this website and The 5th Stand from 1 am. To find the relevant broadcaster where you are overseas, see the Football League’s international partners page

Chelsea’s worldwide matchday shows – including early team news, exclusive interviews and analysis – are on this website and the 5th Stand app.

Carabao Cup regulations

In the event of a draw at the end of normal time, Carabao Cup ties up to the semi-final stage will be decided by penalty kicks, without the use of extra time. Both tonight’s teams sides progressed after penalties in the previous round.

Chelsea saw off Aston Villa 4-3 in the shootout, Kepa crucially parrying one attempt before Reece James delivered the coup de grace. Fraser Forster saved two Sheffield United efforts as Southampton won 4-2.

From this round forward, five substitutions are permitted with nine options allowed on the bench. (During extra time in semi-finals or the final up to six replacements overall can be made.)

Yellow cards do not carry over to any other competition and there is no VAR system at this stage. Semi-finals have reverted to home and away double-headers in early January.For the teams that make it through to the next round, the quarter-final draw will take place live on Sky Sports' Soccer AM programme on Saturday from 10.30am.

We have history

This is only the third time these two teams have been paired in the League Cup, and the first for 24 years. The Blues progressed from both the previous two.

We had two youngsters to thank for progress past Lawrie McMenemy’s Division One side in autumn 1981. In the first leg on the south coast, 21-year-old midfielder Mike Fillery equalised after Kevin Keegan had beaten Steve Francis, who had played for the youth team 24 hours earlier. The 17-year-old goalie, who was making his debut, was convinced Keegan scored with his hand, but made a string of saves to earn a draw.

The second leg was watched by 27,000 at the Bridge and they were not disappointed when Fillery headed the extra-time winner to secure the Blues’ first ever cup win against the visitors.

Victory over the Saints in November 1997 also came in extra time and thanks to a homegrown goalscorer, this time a teenaged Jody Morris. Earlier, Tore Andre Flo had levelled Kevin Davies’s opener. The campaign ended with our second League Cup triumph, but only after Ruud Gullit was succeeded by Gianluca Vialli at the semi-final stage.

Captain, leader, fledgling

Exactly 57 years ago today John Hollins was Chelsea’s youngest ever captain aged 18 years and three months. The one-off occasion was a 4-0 victory against Notts County in round three of the League Cup on 26 October 1964, the season we first won the trophy. A decade later in April 1975, Ray Wilkins, at 18½, became the most youthful permanent skipper in the club’s history.

In the FA Cup win over Luton Town in January this year Mason Mount, just past his 22nd birthday, was Chelsea’s youngest captain since John Terry, who was days shy of his 21st birthday 20 years earlier when we played against Charlton.

Warren memorial restored

Thanks to the generosity of many, including a few major donors and many supporters of the teams he represented – Chelsea, Derby County and England – as well as the diligence of people in and around Newhall, where he is buried, the grave memorial of Ben Warren has been completely restored.

One of the most popular and highly rated players of his generation, Warren wrenched his knee while playing for Chelsea 110 years ago on Thursday: a 4-1 win at Clapton Orient. He limped through the second half but it would prove to be his 101st and last ever game. Football was a more precarious profession than it is today and, during what became an extended lay-off, anxiety took hold of Warren and never let go.

Tragically, his decline led to confinement and early death in an asylum, and he was buried in his hometown in January 1917, ‘beautiful wreaths’ being sent by Derby and Chelsea. A commemorative service for the restored grave will take place from 1pm on Sunday 14 November at St John’s churchyard, Church Street, Newhall, Derbyshire.

Carabao Cup round four fixtures

Tuesday Arsenal v Leeds 7.45pm (Sky Sports)Chelsea v Southampton 7.45pmQPR v Sunderland 7.45pm

WednesdayBurnley v Tottenham 7.45pmLeicester v Brighton 7.45pmPreston v Liverpool 7.45pm (Sky Sports)Stoke v Brentford 7.45pmWest Ham v Man City 7.45pm