Marcos Alonso Chelsea
Marcos Alonso Chelsea

Chelsea welcome Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for their Carabao Cup Round of 16 game and by the looks of it, Thomas Tuchel is going to make a host of changes to his starting line up.

The Blues boast a really big squad and the manager plans to utilize this luxury on Tuesday as he looks to rest several of his first-team regulars.

During his press conference, the manager has hinted that he wants to push his academy players to their limits so that they come out successful on the other side.

‘The Academy is full of quality coaches and quality leaders,’ Tuchel said. ‘The guys who come from the Academy through to our team and onto our pitch are all of the same spirit and same attitude – humble guys who know what it is to play for Chelsea.

‘They know what it takes to be serious, to be humble, and that there’s no problem in being a nice guy and still playing a hard and serious match of football.

‘It’s a pleasure to have that mix between the best players of the world from all countries and the Academy players. That makes things special and creates a certain energy and atmosphere for the spectators in the stadium.

 

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‘This is what we want and we will always try to push guys through but in the end, let’s be honest, it’s a matter of quality and not where you come from.’

This is great news for Southampton since if Chelsea are playing a second-fiddle side then they have every chance to register an upset.

The Saints have not made a very bright start to their Premier League campaign but they go into this game having not lost two of their previous league matches.

This is obviously not a very positive and confidence provoking stat when you’re playing against a team like Chelsea but something is always better than nothing.

Thomas Tuchel is expected to name players like Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez in his first XI and since these players have played very little football this season, Southampton might find it easy to rattle their cages.

Read: Chelsea receive a big injury boost before they face Southampton.

Read: 4-3-3 Chelsea’s predicted line up vs Southampton – Carabao Cup.

Read: Chelsea’s player ratings vs Norwich City – Premier League.

Read: West Ham legend takes a swipe at this Chelsea superstar.