Chelsea
will be looking to avoid an upset when they travel to in form Sky Bet League
Two side Shrewsbury Town in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.
A late Robin van Persie strike denied the Blues another Premier League
victory in stoppage time at Manchester United on Sunday, and Jose Mourinho
will want his side to to put that disappointment behind them by putting the
Shrews to the sword.
The Blues remain unbeaten in all competitions, but were not entirely
convincing in the last round of this competition, labouring past Sky Bet
Championship side Bolton 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
The League Cup was the first trophy Mourinho won as Chelsea manager back in
2005, with an extra-time win over Liverpool earning the Blues their fourth
League Cup trophy.
Shrewsbury will be no pushovers for what is likely to be a much-changed
Chelsea at the Greenhous Meadow.
The Shrews are three points off top spot in League Two after a run of four
straight wins has catapulted Micky Mellon’s men up the table.
The Shropshire side showed their resilience at the weekend after coming from
a goal down against Portsmouth to secure a 2-1 victory, and will be taking
plenty of momentum into one of the biggest matches in the club's history.
They have so far knocked out Blackpool, Leicester and Norwich on their way
to the fourth round.
Team news
Mourinho looks set to ring the changes for Chelsea's visit to Shrewsbury.
The likes of Petr Cech, Nathan Ake and Mohamed Salah could feature in the
fourth-round tie, but striker Diego Costa, who missed Sunday's game at
United as a result of illness and a hamstring injury, is unlikely to be
risked.
Loic Remy (groin), Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic (both suspended)
are unavailable, but midfielder Ramires, who has been out for over five
weeks with a groin problem, could return.
Shrewsbury captain Liam Lawrence came off the bench in the weekend win, and
should be fit enough to face the Blues.
Striker Andy Mangan also completed his comeback from a knee injury by
appearing as a substitute on Saturday, and is likely to be named on the
bench again.
Mellon has no other fresh concerns.
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