Chelsea secured a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in the Premier League over the weekend, and will want to get over the last-minute debacle that cruelly denied them a win, when they face League Two side Shrewsbury Town in their Capital One Cup clash tonight. They will want to keep themselves in the running for as many trophies as possible at this stage, and they will have to beat Shrewsbury Town to stay in the Capital One Cup this season.
Shrewsbury Town have performed well, having defeated other good sides such as Leicester, Norwich and Blackpool in the Cup so far. They will be focusing on an upset, to knock what is looking like the best English side on display, even though Chelsea will use their reserve players in this clash, as most of their players will be tired after a physically-sapping clash against Manchester United, as players will be looking to gain confidence after the draw. The likes of Petr Cech, Kurt Zouma and Mohammed Salah, amongst others, will look to seize their opportunity and perform well enough to impress the manager and move into the first-team scheme of the squad, rather than languish on the sidelines.
This Chelsea team could easily brush Shrewsbury Town off, even with their reserve players, and will want to make a statement of intent. Certain players will not feature, to keep them fit for the Premier League game over the weekend. Shrewsbury Town will be buoyed by the fact that they have kept clean sheets through their Cup ties so far. However, Chelsea hold the advantage, having defeated them 4-0 in their last meeting in an FA Cup tie in January 2003. They have not yet met in a Capital One Cup tie yet, and Shrewsbury Town have been boosted by the return of their captain to defence and their main striker over their weekend tie.