Cardiff vs. Chelsea—Carabao Cup: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Chelsea face the only non-Premier League side remaining in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.

Cardiff City host Chelsea on Tuesday. / Joe Prior/Visionhaus/James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Chelsea are aiming to book their place in the Carabao Cup semifinal when they lock horns with Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

The Blues have reached the Carabao Cup final in three of the last seven seasons, but have been beaten in every Wembley trip. Enzo Maresca, who has already guided Chelsea to Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup glory, will be keen to end the club’s wait for domestic silverware.

Maresca’s remarkable outburst after the weekend victory over Everton has highlighted the pressure felt by the Italian at Stamford Bridge, with anything but a convincing victory against League One opposition on Tuesday only intensifying scrutiny.

Chelsea have already beaten Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road in the Carabao Cup, but they have made hard work of narrow one-goal wins. Their in-form hosts, who currently lead the third tier, will be aiming to make things similarly challenging for the Blues.

Cardiff reached the 2011–12 EFL Cup final despite being in the Championship, eventually losing to Liverpool on penalties. Repeating the feat this season, though, would prove an even greater achievement; it’s extremely unlikely, but anything is possible.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the quarterfinal showdown.

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What Time Does Cardiff vs. Chelsea Kick-Off?

• Location: Cardiff, Wales
• Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
• Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16
• Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3. p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
• Referee: Tony Harrington
• VAR: Not in use

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Cardiff vs. Chelsea Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Matches)

• Cardiff: 0 wins
• Chelsea: 5 wins
• Draws: 0

• Last meeting: Cardiff 1–2 Chelsea (March 31, 2019)—Premier League

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Current Form (All Competitions)

Cardiff	Chelsea
Cardiff 4–3 Doncaster - 13/12/25	Chelsea 2–0 Everton - 13/12/25
Stevenage 0–1 Cardiff - 09/12/25	Atalanta 2–1 Chelsea - 09/12/25
Cardiff 3–2 Huddersfield - 06/12/25	Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea - 06/12/25
Cardiff 1–5 Wimbledon - 02/12/25	Leeds 3–1 Chelsea - 03/12/25
Cardiff 3–0 Mansfield - 29/11/25	Chelsea 1–1 Arsenal - 30/11/25

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How to Watch Cardiff vs. Chelsea on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United Kingdom	Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, SKy Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV
United States	Paramount+
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Mexico	ESPN2 Mexico, Disney+ Premium Mexico

• MORE: Full list of Carabao Cup broadcasters around the world

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Cardiff Team News

Rubin Colwill is absent for the Bluebirds. / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy will be without the influential Rubin Colwill against Chelsea, with the 23-year-old, who was named the player of the Carabao Cup fourth round, still absent with a serious ankle injury.

His brother Joel Colwill could feature despite missing the 4–3 weekend win over Doncaster Rovers, but Ollie Tanner, Jan Alnwick and Eli King will be absent. Ex-Luton Town defender Gabriel Osho is a doubt at the back as well.

Chelsea loanee Omari Kellyman won’t be available against his parent club after the Blues rejected Cardiff’s request to allow the youngster to feature on Tuesday night.

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Cardiff Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Cardiff will not change much from the weekend win. / FotMob

Cardiff predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-3-3): Trott; Ng, Fish, Chambers, Bagan; Wintle, Robertson Turnbull; Ashford, Salech, Willock.

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Chelsea Team News

Cole Palmer is likely to be rested. / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Maresca insisted he will make changes from the weekend as he looks to rotate his deep squad, with Cole Palmer, formerly managed by Barry-Murphy in Manchester City’s academy, set to miss out. Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Enzo Fernández and Pedro Neto may be among others given some invaluable rest.

Chelsea will have Moisés Caicedo available for the clash and he might be utilised having missed the Everton match through suspension. However, his fellow midfielders Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo are absent through injury.

Levi Colwill joins his Cardiff namesake Rubin on the sidelines due to his ACL tear, while Liam Delap is missing with a shoulder issue. Marc Guiu is also unavailable as he’s cup-tied, having featured for Sunderland in this competition during his brief loan spell.

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Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Cardiff

Maresca will make sweeping changes. / FotMob./

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Cardiff (4-2-3-1): Jörgensen; Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Hato; Caciedo, Santos; Estêvão, Buonanotte, Gittens; George.

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Cardiff vs. Chelsea Score Prediction

Even if Maresca makes sweeping alterations to the team that beat Everton, his side should waltz to victory on Tuesday. The Blues boast an incredible supporting cast and are battling a team 41 places below them in the football pyramid.

Cardiff have plenty of confidence as they enjoy a resurgent campaign in League One and they will fancy their chances of scoring against a much-changed XI. Still, they will need a miracle to make it into the last four.

Prediction: Cardiff 1–3 Chelsea

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