Rovers’ return to Stamford Bridge is their first in this competition for 26 years. The Lancastrians’ only previous League Cup visit, in October 1997, ended in a penalty shoot-out victory for Ruud Gullit’s side.

As five-time winners of the League Cup and finalists in 2019 and 2022, Chelsea have progressed from 23 of our previous 32 fourth round ties (losing nine, most recently after a shoot-out with Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in 2020).

• Pochettino on his Carabao Cup team selection

• Ruky's day to remember

• Free travel available for away trip

Another four of the ten remaining top-flight contestants are guaranteed to exit the midweek trophy-chase after a quartet of all-Premier League ties. Like Fulham at Ipswich, Chelsea face Championship opposition. The Blues, London’s first and most recent winners of this competition, are up against a Danish coach for the second game running, having fallen to Thomas Frank’s Brentford at the weekend.

Back in the 2021 Champions League group stage, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Malmo side were beaten 4-0 by Chelsea at the Bridge, and 1-0 in Sweden. As the former Feyenoord and Newcastle striker also lost three times to the Blues as a player, he may well have hustled his compatriot for tips.

Tonight’s victors will secure a place in the last eight of English football’s quickest ticket to major silverware and a UEFA berth: the winner of the February final earns a place in the Europa Conference League play-off round.

Mauricio Pochettino is bidding to become the third Blues boss to claim the League Cup trophy during their first season. His illustrious forebears were Gianluca Vialli, in 1997/98, and Mourinho in 2004/05.

How round four was reached

Team news

Mauricio Pochettino has hinted he will play plenty (but not all) of his regulars against Championship visitors Blackburn. Captain Reece James is a confirmed starter and the likes of goalie Djordje Petrovic, Benoit Badiashile, Ian Maatsen, or Lesley Ugochukwu may replace those who’ve had a heavier recent workload.

Chelsea have lost successive second halves at Stamford Bridge, and only scored twice in the final half-hour of games across all competitions this season, home and away. That apparent loss of durability as games progress will be a concern to the Blues’ coach, though his plans are constantly hampered by half the squad being injured or half-fit.

There may well be recalls for Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez, too, though in-form Misha Mudryk will have to wait for Tottenham on Monday to possibly make his return. Seven others are sidelined.

As in previous rounds, Poch is likely to find bench space for Academy players, such as attacking midfielder Alex Matos (a league debutant at Fulham).

Opposition scout – Blackburn

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Blackburn play fluent, passing football, and won comfortably across west London last month at QPR. They are not by nature, though, one of those well-drilled defensive teams who have succeeded at the Bridge recently by sitting deep and riding their luck.

The 12th-placed Rovers earned their place in the Carabao Cup’s last 16 by scoring four or more in each of the previous three rounds, but they also concede a lot. The only Championship clubs with a worse goal difference are the bottom four, including the struggling Rs.

On Saturday they were beaten 1-0 at home by Swansea and it could have been worse (with two visitors’ goals disallowed) before equalising openings were spurned at the end.

Players to look out for include 19-year-old academy graduate Adam Wharton, whose passing and vision are expressed as a box-to-box midfielder, and leading marksman Sammie Szmodics. Teenage midfielder Andy Moran was part of a visiting Brighton team that beat Chelsea U21s in August before moving on loan to Lancashire.

Sondre Tronstad is solid in the midfield holding role but Rovers’ defence, not bursting with pace, is susceptible to passes in behind, and not totally at ease playing out from the back. They have conceded nine goals in the last quarter-hour of league games while lodging one in reply, losing five points as a result.

Carabao Cup regulations

The draw for quarter-final ties will take place after the Man United vs Newcastle match, around 10.15pm.

Five substitutions (plus concussion replacements) are allowed in the competition, but the VAR system is not in operation.

A clear result is required on the night and, up to the second leg of the semi-finals and the final itself, that will be achieved without extra-time or replays. Instead, should the score be level after 90 minutes, the match will be decided by penalties.

The Londoners lost out in our two most recent shoot-outs in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals at Wembley in 2022, both to Liverpool. Prior to that we won at home to Southampton in October 2021, in this competition.

Carabao Cup round dates

Quarter-final w/c 18 Dec 2023

Semi-final (1st leg) w/c 8 January 2024

Semi-final (2nd leg) w/c 21 January 2024

Carabao Cup final Sun 25 Feb 2024

• NB All fixtures except final may be moved for live TV.

Chelsea in round four – the history

Our opening victory in round four of the League Cup came in November 1964 against Swansea, on the way to becoming London’s first winners of the floodlit competition. Tommy Docherty’s youngsters were pegged back twice by the Welsh visitors but a George Graham header, his second goal of the night, avoided a replay.

Nineteen years later the same month, the Blues destroyed a Man City side who’d been unsuccessful promotion rivals six months earlier. A Kerry Dixon hat-trick and a rare strike from stylish midfielder Keith Jones outgunned Gordon Smith’s late reply. By then, though, the moment of the night had been written into history: Pat Nevin’s penalty failure, rated the worst he’d ever seen by commentator Barry Davies.

The following season at the same stage, the Londoners registered an impressive 2-1 replay success at champions Everton, a feat repeated in December 1992. Twenty-five years ago, in November 1998, the fourth round visit to Arsenal was Gianluca Vialli’s and Gus Poyet’s night, each bagging a brace in a memorable 5-0 derby thrashing.

Halloween 2012 brought a topsy-turvy 5-4 tussle befitting ‘mischief night’ against Manchester United, with penalties, errors, and a thrilling finish in favour of Roberto Di Matteo’s side. Most recently, it took a penalty shootout at the Bridge to see off Southampton after the game finished 1-1 in October 2021. Reece James dispatched the winning spot-kick.

Rovers’ return

Blackburn’s only previous League Cup visit, in October 1997 under Roy Hodgson, was an eventful one. Robbie Di Matteo broke through to complete a one-on-one, nullifying Billy McKinlay's earlier half-volley from the edge of the box. Luca Vialli, who would later replace manager Ruud Gullit, was sent off in extra time before the Lancastrians flunked the resulting penalty shoot-out.

Frank Leboeuf, Frank Sinclair, Steve Clarke and Mark Nicholls found a way past Tim Flowers, while Gary Croft was the only successful Rover against Kevin Hitchock. Chris Sutton’s effort was saved and Lars Bohinen sent his wide, and the Blues went on to lift the trophy in March under Vialli.

Both League Cup meetings since have been at Ewood Park: in October 2006, when we won 2-0 with second-half goals from Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou, and a 3-3 extra-time draw in December 2009, followed by a penalty shoot-out loss.