KEY EVENTSALL
9'Plenty of Chelsea possession in these early stages, but little to show for it as they have yet to force Luke Daniels into action. The keeper has hardly had a touch of the ball, and it's the visitors in fact who have packed the greater punch on the counter up to this point - or at least appear more direct in attack.
7'STAT: Chelsea have scored at least a goal in 10 consecutive FA Cup fixtures at Stamford Bridge (excluding extra time), dating back to a goalless draw with Everton in February 2011 – though they did go on to score in the extra frame in that match as well.
5'The Iron are packing plenty of yellow shirts behind the ball when Chelsea are in possession. Their approach is clear, to sit back and remain organised in defence, before looking to break very quickly on the counter when they win the ball back.
3'Lively tempo to the match in the early going as the team exchange attacks - Chelsea through Azpilicueta and Scunthorpe through Madden. Mark Robins said his team are under no pressure to produce a result today and it's all on the Blues to come up with the victory, so we'll see if their play reflects those sentiments.
1'And we're off!
This means a lot to Chelsea, made evident through the strong team they have sent out today. They're hoping to put together a deep run in the competition and it starts today at Stamford Bridge in front of a rejuvenated crowd.
Mark Robins makes just one change to his team following their draw with Wigan last weekend, as Murray Wallace, who just arrived from Championship side Huddersfield, starts ahead of Niall Canavan in defence. Leading scorer Paddy Madden is fit despite a tight hamstring.
Guus Hiddink has rotated his squad only slightly as the Blues send out a full-strength starting lineup to face their League One opposition. Diego Costa leads the lines as the only fit striker available at Hiddink’s disposal, with Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy injured. Eden Hazard is unavailable with a groin injury and is replaced by Pedro. Two other changes see Asmir Begovic and Gary Cahill come into the XI at the expense of Thibaut Courtois and John Terry.
SUBS: Anyon, Wiseman, Canavan, McAllister, King, Adelakun, Wootton.
SCUNTHORPE (4-2-3-1): Daniels; Clarke, Mirfin, Wallace, Laird; Bishop, Dawson; Madden, Ness, Williams; Van Veen.
SUBS: Courtois, Terry, Baba Rahman, Mikel, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Traore.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Diego Costa.
CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS:
Scunthorpe aren’t particularly enjoying their football at the moment, but with League One as tight as it is at the moment, neither relegation nor promotion are out of the question. They figure to finish off in the bottom half of the table, but a decent run of form can change the entire landscape of the season – and the confidence that would come with a historic win at Stamford Bridge will go a long way in giving them the boost they need.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea and Scunthorpe’s third round FA Cup clash from Stamford Bridge. The Blues are slowly – emphasis on the slow – making their way back from a beyond disastrous second half of 2015. Guus Hiddink’s emphasis on smart tactical football has helped restore a bit of confidence in the fragile club. With a top six finish looking entirely improbable at this point, there’s an added emphasis on Chelsea’s performance in the FA Cup. They desperately need to make a deep run in the competition and it’s not entirely out of the question that Roman Abramovic will want to throw all his eggs in this basket as it stands as their best chance to win a trophy in 2016.
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