Chelsea travel to face Lincoln in a Carabao Cup third round tie on Tuesday as Enzo Maresca’s side look to shake off last weekend’s Old Trafford woes.
For the hosts, meanwhile, this cup outing – which follows earlier wins over Harrogate and Burton Albion to reach this stage – represents the biggest test of the season so far.
Michael Skubala’s Imps couldn’t ask for much better form coming into Tuesday’s showdown, having embarked on a 10-game unbeaten run since suffering their sole loss of the campaign back in early August.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Lincoln vs Chelsea is scheduled for a 7:45pm BST kick-off on Tuesday September 23, 2025.
The match will take place at the LNER Stadium – also known as Sincil Bank – in Lincoln.
Where to watch Lincoln vs Chelsea
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage beginning at 7:40pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, where we’ll bring you the latest updates and expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and Sky Sports Football YouTube channel should show highlights after the match.
Lincoln vs Chelsea team news
Palmer’s participation is in doubt due to an ongoing groin issue, while Levi Colwill, Liam Delap, Benoit Badiashile, Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia all remain sidelined . Wesley Fofana is expected to be fine after his early withdrawal at Old Trafford, but may not be risked on Tuesday due to fatigue.
With anticipated squad rotation to come from Maresca, who could rest key men like the heavily-utilised Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro, there may be a chance for Alejandro Garnacho to make his full Chelsea debut after the Argentine failed to do so against his old club on Saturday.
The likes of Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Andrey Santos, Facundo Buonanotte and Tyler George will all be pushing for starts, too, and it’s likely some academy players will be involved.
Doubt: Cole Palmer continues to struggle with a groin injury
Chelsea FC via Getty Images
As for the hosts, versatile attacker Jack Moylan is working his way back from ankle surgery and Dom Jefferies is a reported frontline doubt due to a hip problem.
Lincoln have plenty of other options, though, including Freddie Draper, James Collins, Rob Street and Ben House, plus Coventry loanee Justin Obikwu, who scored alongside two-goal man House at the weekend.
Elsewhere, on-loan Wolves full-back Dexter Lembikisa could be in line for his Lincoln debut.
Lincoln vs Chelsea prediction
Lincoln have won five and drawn two of their last seven matches at the LNER Stadium, and have lost just once this season – back in early August, in a match where they played with 10 men for over an hour. The Imps are currently third in League One.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have drawn one and lost two games since August, leaving them sixth in the top-flight.
Of course, anything is possible in these early stages of the cup, and Maresca has already cautioned his players against complacency. Still, his squad surely has enough firepower to get the job done even if rotation is rife.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two clubs have not faced each other in 114 years, so very little can be gleaned from examining the head-to-head record of this tie.
Given the current gulf in their relative league positions and financial backing alone, you’d expect Chelsea to still have the upper hand as their record between 1905 and 1911 suggests they did many years ago.
Lincoln vs Chelsea match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
