FA Cup third round
It’s a new competition, with a new head coach. Will we see a new Chelsea?
Probably not. These things take time, sometimes more, sometimes less. Things may not go great at first.
Then again, things may also suddenly become amazing. How about a Cup treble, Liam?
We begin this season’s FA Cup journey away to Championship side Charlton Athletic. That looks easy on paper, but we’ve struggled a bit on the road (even when it’s just a short journey across the river), and we’ve certainly not blown away any of our lower-league opposition in the League Cup, winning by just one goal against third tier sides Lincoln City and Cardiff City. Of course, it’s that winning bit that matters in the end.
Win and move on, the task is clear.
Date / Time: Saturday, January 10, 2026, 20.00 GMT; 3pm EST; 1:30am IST (next day)
Venue: The Valley, London, SE7
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (no VAR)
Forecast: Freezing cold
On TV: TNT Sports 1 (UK); none (USA); none?? (India); SuperSport Premier League (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: discovery+ (UK); WatchESPN (USA); none?? (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Charlton Athletic team news: Charlton barely survived the drop last season, after winning promotion from League One the year prior, but they’ve kept faith in manager Nathan Jones, who recently marked his 100th match in charge. He had them as high as fifth earlier this season, but a horrendous run of form since November, with just one win in eleven, has seen them plummet down the table. Dial Chelsea if you need a slump-busting result!
They did take points off Championship-leaders (Frank Lampard’s) Coventry City in their last home game and despite their poor form, they’ve remained a defensively solid, tough team to break down (only one team in the bottom half of the table have conceded fewer). It’s the lack of goals at the other end that has hurt them: only three teams in the 24-team Championship have scored fewer. Summer signings Charlie Kelman (a former USA youth international) and Sonny Carey lead the way with four and five goals, respectively. Kelman had a brace last weekend, in their 2-2 draw against Blackburn.
“It’s one of the best cup competitions in the world. It’s a London derby and Chelsea is a wonderful football club with a great history and great pedigree of players and an appeal. It’s a totally different test and one we’re looking forward to. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the club showcase itself against a top, top side.”
-Nathan Jones; source: Charlton Athletic FC
Chelsea team news: Liam Rosenior has been talking the talk — and talking it very, very well — but now it’s time to start walking the walk. He knows the expectations, the challenges, and the potential rewards that await him. He’s ready to lead this team to the next level, despite being our youngest head coach ever, so all we’ve got to do is follow him.
That journey starts with a decently clean bill of health, with only the usual trio of Levi Colwill, Roméo Lavia, and Dário Essugo ruled out through injury (and Essugo has returned to partial training). Unfortunately, Marc Cucurella is suspended following his silly red card on Wednesday — though he may have missed out anyway depending on how much rotation Rosenior opts for. We have the first leg of the League Cup semifinal against Arsenal coming up next Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a very difficult game […] they play with real intensity. They’re very, very difficult to play against. I’ve watched a lot of their recent games. It’s going to be a typical English cup tie third round in January, and my players need to be able to stand up to that intensity. You know, that’s the first thing in football. It’s all about systems, tactics. You have to win the battle. You have to win duels. You have to win headers. You have to run, and that’s the message I’ve given to the players over the last two days.”
-Liam Rosenior; source: Football.London
Previously: Charlton haven’t been a Premier League team for nearly two decades, since getting relegated in 2006-07, which is also the last time we played them — winning just 1-0, away, on a Frank Lampard goal.
Category: General Sports
