Preview: Chelsea vs Leeds United - prediction, team news, lineups

A repeat of last season’s FA Cup semi-final sees Chelsea face Leeds United in the third round of the EFL Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

The Blues beat Luton Town 2-0 to progress from the second round a fortnight ago, while their West Yorkshire counterparts won by the same scoreline away against Nottingham Forest.

Match preview

After winning their opening two Premier League games of the new season against Fulham and Brighton, Chelsea suffered their first defeat under new manager Xabi Alonso on Sunday, as they were beaten 2-1 by London rivals and reigning champions Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

It took just 77 seconds for record signing Morgan Rogers to fire the Blues into an early lead, but goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard either side of half time secured the win for Arsenal, leaving Alonso “hurt” but still hopeful for what the future holds.

Before facing high-flying Hull City on Saturday, Chelsea must shift their focus to the EFL Cup, a competition they have won five times but not since 2015; they most recently reached the semi-finals last season where they lost 4-2 to Arsenal over two legs.

Chelsea head into Wednesday’s third-round tie having suffered defeat just once at this stage of the competition in the last 15 years, losing 2-0 to fellow Premier League side Manchester City in 2022-23.

The Blues also boast a strong head-to-head record against Leeds in cup competitions, winning each of their previous 10 ties across the EFL Cup (three) and FA Cup (seven). They registered an emphatic 5-1 away triumph over the Whites in their most recent EFL Cup clash in the fifth round in December 2012.

Including results from last season, Leeds have lost only two of their last 16 competitive fixtures since the beginning of March (W8 D6), and they have made an unbeaten start to the 2026-27 campaign, winning two and drawing two of their opening four matches.

Back-to-back away wins without reply against Nottingham Forest were followed by successive Premier League draws with Brentford and Brighton. Jayden Bogle’s early strike against the latter was cancelled out in the second half to force both sides to share the spoils at the Amex Stadium last weekend.

While stabilising their top-flight status and building on last season’s 14th-placed finish remains the ultimate priority for head coach Daniel Farke, performing well in the domestic cup competitions and steering Leeds to their first major trophy since their 1971-72 FA Cup triumph is also high on the agenda.

Leeds have only won the EFL Cup once in their history (1967-68) and their recent record in the competition leaves a lot to be desired, failing to progress beyond the third round in 13 of the last 17 years. Last season, they suffered a second-round exit to Sheffield Wednesday on penalties.

The Whites can at least take some comfort from their recent outings versus Chelsea. A 3-1 home victory in December last year and a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in February helped them collect four Premier League points from the Blues last season, before their narrow 1-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat at Wembley in April.

Chelsea EFL Cup form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Leeds United EFL Cup form:

Leeds United form (all competitions):

Team News

Chelsea’s Jordan Henderson (wrist) remains unavailable for selection, while Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra are both doubtful with unspecified issues and may not be risked for this midweek fixture.

Alonso will be tempted to freshen up his team in a few positions, with goalkeeper Mike Penders, Levi Colwill, Pep Chavarria and Malo Gusto all contenders to earn recalls at the back; the latter is also an option to play in midfield.

The fearsome front three of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Rogers is seemingly unlikely to remain intact, so Danny Welbeck, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda are among those who could be presented with a start in attack. Welbeck netted his first Chelsea goal in the previous round against Luton.

As for Leeds, Joe Rodon (hamstring) and Mateo Joseph (knee) are long-term injury absentees, while Ilia Gruev (knee) and Daniel James (back) will both be assessed ahead of kickoff, the latter reported his problems during the warmup before last weekend draw with Brighton.

Gabriel Gudmundsson played the full 90 minutes last time out after recovering from a hamstring injury, but a start for either James Justin or new signing Melvin Bard at left wing-back could be on the cards against Chelsea.

Goalkeeper Michael Zetterer and attacker Jean-Matteo Bahoya are two more new recruits available to make their Leeds debuts, while Jaka Bijol, Harry Wilson, Brendan Aaronson and Lukas Nmecha will all be hoping to force their way back into the first XI.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Penders; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Gusto, Lavia, Barco, Chavarria; Estevao, Palmer; Welbeck

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Trafford: Elvedi, Bijol, Tarik Muharemovic; Bogle, Ampadu, Longstaff, Justin; Aaronson, Wilson, Nmecha

We say: Chelsea 1-1 Leeds United (Chelsea to win on penalties)

A closely-contested battle between two strong Premier League teams could be in store in West London, but Leeds must remain wide awake from the first whistle given that Chelsea have found the net inside the opening five minutes of all three league matches this season.

While the Whites have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last nine visits to Stamford Bridge, Farke’s resilient side possess the defensive grit to push their hosts all the way to a dramatic penalty shootout. However, we are backing the Blues to ultimately maintain their composure and squeeze through to the fourth round.

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