Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow night’s Carling Cup Third Round clash with Fulham, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas indicated that he would be using the tie and indeed the competition to hand opportunities to the club’s younger generation.
Villas-Boas confirmed that Josh McEachran, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu and Romelu Lukaku would all be part of the starting eleven, whilst Didier Drogba is also expected to make a return to action after suffering a concussion and facial injuries against Norwich City.
Keen to deflect attention away from Sunday’s 3-1 reverse at Old Trafford and towards the midweek fixture, Villas-Boas said “We have chosen this approach [to the Carling Cup] to promote the youngsters….I think opportunities will be given to our youngest players.”
He also indicated that should the Blues progress through the competition, a similar approach would be adopted as a matter of principle.
Backup goalkeeper Hilário is the only notable absentee through injury, and will also be unavailable for the weekend league match at home to Swansea City.
Comments are closed.