Cardiff City vs Chelsea: Carabao Cup preview, team news, kick-off time & how to watch
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Chelsea face Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday night.
A trip to Wales awaits Chelsea as they look to book another semi-final spot, a regular occurrence under head coach Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea are set to ring the changes against Brian Barry-Murphy's side under the lights in Cardiff, with Maresca confirming Cole Palmer will not be available for the cup tie.
Marc Cucurella is suspended for the visitors, while Moises Caicedo is once again available following his domestic three-match ban.
Maresca revealed: "Cole in this moment is one of the players that deserves to be protected, and in this moment he's not available to play two games in three days."
On Caicedo, the Chelsea boss added: "He is available. He can play. He is back, finally. We can use him."
Tuesday offers Chelsea another chance to progress further in a cup competition, experience Maresca believes will help the Blues' mentality as they eye major honours.
"It's the main thing," continued the Italian. "I think since I joined the club, I always try to say the same. To have the winning mentality, you need to win games. Otherwise, the players, they don't believe you. So since day one, we are trying to win games.
"(Tuesday) is another chance to be there in another semi-final, no matter the competition. And it's an important moment for the players, for the fans, for the club, for everyone."
Our last visit to the Cardiff City Stadium back in March 2019! 💥🔵
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) December 16, 2025
🎥 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/SLw3oa9Fel
Here are all of the details ahead of the Carabao Cup tie between Cardiff and Chelsea.
Date, time, location of Cardiff vs Chelsea
Date: Tuesday 16th December 2025
Kick-off time: 8pm UK / 3pm ET / 12pm PT
Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
Competition: Carabao Cup Quarter-Finals
How to watch Cardiff vs Chelsea
United Kingdom: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football
United States: Paramount+
Prediction
Cardiff City 1-3 Chelsea
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.