Charlton vs. Chelsea—FA Cup Third Round: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

A London derby awaits with a place in the FA Cup fourth round at stake.

Chelsea won the last competitive match against Charlton. / Visionhaus/Getty Images, Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Chelsea begin life under Liam Rosenior on Saturday evening when they visit Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round.

Rosenior was merely a spectator at Craven Cottage as ten-man Chelsea slumped to defeat against local adversaries Fulham, with Under-21s boss Calum McFarlane on the touchline for the loss. Now the former Strasbourg and Hull City manager has the chance to take charge of his first encounter.

Chelsea are now winless in five games and have tasted just three victories since the end of the November international break, with Rosenior desperate to enjoy a new manager bounce and quickly endear himself to the club’s supporters. A convincing win over Charlton would be the dream start, although there is the possibility of a shock cup exit at the hands of second tier opposition.

Charlton currently find themselves 19th in the Championship and four games without victory as they prepare for their toughest test of the campaign. Manager Nathan Jones has never been short of self-belief and his players must share that confidence if they’re to pull off a surprise giant-killing in their first battle with the Blues since 2007.

Can Charlton spoil Rosenior’s Chelsea debut? Only if they can channel the magic of the FA Cup.

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s preview of the clash.

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What Time Does Charlton vs. Chelsea Kick Off?

• Location: London, England
• Stadium: The Valley
• Date: Saturday, Jan. 10
• Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
• Referee: Chris Kavanagh
• VAR: Not in use

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Charlton vs. Chelsea Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

• Charlton: 1 win
• Chelsea: 3 wins
• Draws: 1

• Last meeting: Charlton 0–1 Chelsea (Feb. 3, 2007)—Premier League

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Current Form (All Competitions)

Charlton	Chelsea
Blackburn 2–2 Charlton - 04/01/26	Fulham 2–1 Chelsea - 07/01/26
Charlton 1–1 Coventry - 01/01/26	Man City 1–1 Chelsea - 04/01/26
Portsmouth 2–1 Charlton - 29/12/25	Chelsea 2–2 Bournemouth - 30/12/25
Norwich 1–0 Charlton - 26/12/25	Chelsea 1–2 Aston Villa - 27/12/25
Charlton 1–0 Oxford United - 20/12/25	Newcastle 2–2 Chelsea - 20/12/25

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

Country	TV channel/live stream
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ App
United States	ESPN Select, ESPN App, fuboTV
Canada	Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Plus, Sportsnet 360
Mexico	FOX One

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

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Charlton Team News

Nathan Jones has twice been beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup before. / Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Jones, who was twice beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup during his time in charge of Luton Town, will be without three players for the visit of the Blues. Kayne Ramsay, Matt Godden and Onel Hernández are all absent with fitness issues.

Jones has confirmed that Reece Burke and Miles Leaburn should both be available for the clash despite suffering knocks in the 2–2 draw with Blackburn Rovers last weekend.

Charlie Kelman is one Chelsea will have to keep an eye on, the striker having scored a brace last time out to take his tally to four goals in his last six matches.

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Charlton Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Jones will continue with three at the back. / FotMob

Charlton predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (3-5-2): Kaminski; Burke, Jones, Bell; Bree, Carey, Coventry, Rankin-Costello, Campbell; Leaburn, Kelman.

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Chelsea Team News

Rosenior might name an experimental XI. / Sathiri Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

All eyes will be on Rosenior’s first-ever Chelsea lineup but changes are expected from the team that was defeated at Craven Cottage midweek. The 41-year-old should still use the peripheral figures in his bloated squad, especially with one eye on the midweek semifinal first leg against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

Chelsea will be without Marc Cucurella for the clash after he was shown a straight red card in the defeat at Fulham, while injuries mean that Levi Colwill, Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo will all miss out, alongside the suspended Mykhailo Mudryk.

Filip Jörgensen, Josh Acheampong, Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens and Marc Guiu are among the fringe players potentially handed chances.

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Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Charlton

There will be sweeping changes from the Fulham loss. / FotMob

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Charlton (4-2-3-1): Jörgensen; Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Hato; Santos, Fernández; Estêvão, Pedro, Gittens; Guiu.

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Charlton vs. Chelsea Score Prediction

There will likely be teething problems for Chelsea as Rosenior looks to implement a new philosophy but even their rotated XI should have few issues handing the new manager his first win with the Blues.

Charlton are struggling in the Championship and while The Valley will be bouncing on Saturday night, the Blues’ superior quality and depth means victory should be routine.

Chelsea are expected to focus on intensity and attacking invention under Rosenior and they will be determined to express themselves in the weekend’s London derby.

Prediction: Charlton 1–3 Chelsea

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