Chelsea host AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge in the second round of the Carabao Cup this evening. We open our campaign in that competition with several senior players missing due to recent injuries, and Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that will hand debut opportunities for some of our younger players, especially with one eye on Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest.

Some of our Academy prospects have been training with the senior side this week in preparation for tonight’s match with the Dons and, although their chance is likely to come from the bench, our head coach has enjoyed feeling their excitement at Cobham in the build-up, even if he is keeping his cards close to his chest for now on exactly who could get that opportunity.

‘At the moment I do not tell the names, until we give the list to them. I prefer that they know this way and don’t want to create a situation that they can be disappointed,’ explained Pochettino. ‘They have not been involved before and will be on the bench first of all. If things are going well maybe they will have the possibility to play, but they will start on the bench.

‘They are 16 or 17 and have the possibility to play at Stamford Bridge in an official competition for the first team. It’s an exciting moment for them and for their families. I know what it means for them. I think it’s fantastic for us also to feel the excitement of a young guy who is with us for the first time. We had yesterday and today training with the first team and you can see their happiness.

‘I hope that we can have this feeling for the fans and for the people for the future, we have a philosophy of the club. I think the Academy always was fantastic and we need again to reinforce, to re-energise the Academy. We believe in them because Chelsea always was famous for bringing good players into the first team.’

Pochettino knows very well what a big moment it is for a young player to be handed his first opportunity in the senior team, as shown by how clearly he remembers his own experience of breaking through with Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina.

‘I remember very well, the coach was Jose Yudica,’ he recalled. ‘I was 17 years old and I remember it like it was today. We played an 11 v 11 training session and I kicked the captain of the first team, Gerardo Martino, who now is the coach at Inter Miami with Messi and Beckham. I remember that the captain and coach said: “what are you doing child, you’re crazy”. Martino said I couldn’t get within two metres of him again or they’d send me home!

‘When we finished the training session, the coach called me over and told me I would be involved in the squad to play the derby against Rosario Central. That was one of my first training sessions and then I was involved in the squad and made my debut, playing 15 or 20 minutes. It was amazing. Then I was involved normally in the team at 17, playing more and more.’

That early experience in his own playing career also taught Mauricio a valuable lesson about what it takes to succeed at that age, leaving him with some important advice to pass on to the next generation of Chelsea youngsters.

‘I was so brave. To kick the captain of the team, if you are not brave you would not be like this. But I think the coach liked this type of situation and the captain said also: “he’s 17 years old but he’s brave, I want him next to me”.

‘This I learned, you need to show your personality. If you don’t show your personality, even when you are 15, 16 ,17, you cannot play in the high level. It’s about character and personality, showing that you can manage the pressure. There’s many psychological things that you need to feel and need to see in the young guys. Then you are going to feel if they are ready or not.

‘It’s not about performing well or not, it’s about showing personality and character, these things are more important than quality. Of course the quality is there if they are training with us, because they are in the Chelsea Academy, but after this you need those other things that are most important at the high level.’

If any of the teenagers involved against Wimbledon tonight take to the senior stage with the same confidence and bravery as Pochettino did for Newell’s Old Boys back in 1988, it could be an exciting look into the future for Chelsea.