Our development squad host Derby County in Premier League 2 action this afternoon (Saturday). Kick-off is 12 noon and you can watch the match live on this website or the 5th Stand app.
It’s back to club football this weekend after an international window for many of our young men. Here, we preview the action and hear the thoughts of defender Henry Lawrence ahead of kick-off...
How to watch and kick-off time
Chelsea TV will be providing coverage of this afternoon’s clash live and for free on the 5th Stand app and right here on the official Chelsea website. Kick-off at Cobham is 12 noon and we have will a full match report on the official website shortly after the final whistle.
The form
Andy Myers’ men have picked up from where they left off last campaign, making a strong start to the new PL2 season. Three wins from four games have the young Blues second in the table on nine points and last time out, goals from Ian Maatsen, Bryan Fiabema and Tino Livramento helped dispatch north London rivals Arsenal at Kingsmeadow.
The opposition
Derby have two points fewer than us and sit fifth in PL2. Wins over Liverpool and Leicester have ensured a positive start for the Rams, who rescued a point against Man City on the opening day of the season.
From the dressing room
Having debuted at England Under-20 level on Tuesday, Henry Lawrence returns from a successful international period ready for more work in a Chelsea shirt.
‘It was a great experience to play for England Under-20s,' Lawrence told the official Chelsea website. ‘We won 2-0 against Wales, I played for about 70 minutes and got an assist. Overall the whole week was a good taster for me and now I’m ready to get back to work at Chelsea.'
The 19-year-old played the duration of our Kingsmeadow win over Arsenal at the beginning of the month and recognises its importance moving forward to Derby’s visit to Cobham.
‘It’s always important to win those games,’ he continued. ‘Winning 3-0 in a London derby sends a message to the rest of the league and it helps us build momentum going forward.
‘We've been preparing well since coming back together as a group and studying Derby’s patterns of play. The results against Derby last year prove how good their set-up is but I think we are confident in ourselves for the win. We’ve started well in the league and I think we can continue that form this weekend.
‘We're very happy defensively - when you’re not conceding, you’re not losing. Keeping a strong back-line is always important and we have a lot of options and versatility in the defence so I think as a unit we’ve done well so far.’
With Frank Lampard's Blues not in action until 3pm this afternoon, why not start your day with some live PL2 football. Just head over to the 5th Stand app for the midday kick-off or watch the action right here.
Also in action this morning are Ed Brand's Under-18s, who make the short trip to Reading. Kick-off in the Under-18 Premier League is 11am.