Chelsea survived a major scare against Lincoln to seal a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. The Blues, who arrived at the LNER Stadium on the back of successive defeats to Bayern Munich and Manchester United as well as a draw away at Brentford, were staring an early exit in the face at half-time.
Robert Street had fired the League One side ahead, and deservedly so, a couple of minutes before the break to raise the prospect of another shock result in this season’s Carabao Cup. However, a word from Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca during the interval seemingly did the trick.
Within five minutes of the restart the Blues were ahead thanks to quick-fire goals from Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte, those strikes proved to be the difference in an entertaining cup tie as Chelsea wait to discover their opponents in the fourth round as they bid to reach yet another Carabao Cup final. Follow the game back below with Standard Sport's dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith!
Lincoln vs Chelsea latest news
- GOAL! Buonanotte puts Chelsea ahead
- GOAL! George equalises for Chelsea
- GOAL! Street fires Lincoln ahead
FULL-TIME
21:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea survive a huge scare and are through to the Carabao Cup fourth round after a comeback win over Lincoln.
Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte with the goals in the second half.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:38 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+3 min: Nervy defending from Chelsea, but they get the job done.
That should be that. Right at the end, Buonanotte is replaced by Walsh.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:37 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+2 min: Lincoln players, those who started, are fading as Hamer’s cross is cut out by Gusto.
Big chance to pump the ball into the box as Cucurella is booked for a foul.
Keeper is up...
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:34 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90 min: Board goes up....FOUR minutes of stoppage time.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:34 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne89 min: CHANCE!
That was it for Lincoln! Jorgensen flaps at a cross and the ball falls to Okoronkwo who stabs it over the bar.
Chelsea keeper is booked for time-wasting.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:31 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne87 min: Those Lincoln changes really haven’t had the desired impact. Chelsea have been relatively comfortable ever since and have looked the more likely team to score.
Still, less than three minutes remaining.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:29 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne85 min: Final roll of the dice from Lincoln as Montsma makes way for Okoronkwo
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:27 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne83 min: Collins is the next player to be shown a yellow card.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne81 min: Jeacock may have kept Lincoln in this cup tie as he makes a good save to deny Buonanotte.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:24 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne80 min: A member of the Lincoln coaching staff has been booked. Not sure why, assuming something was said from the bench and the fourth official reported it.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne76 min: Neto takes aim and drags an effort wide. Not the greatest of strikes from the Chelsea winger, a player of his quality should be doing much better.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:18 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne74 min: Lincoln had been on top prior to those changes, just wonder if their momentum will be halted as a result.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:17 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne73 min: Neto shows his pace with a run down the left, his cross finds Estevao whose effort is blocked before Gusto sends the ball over the bar.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne71 min: Lincoln respond with a quadruple change.
On: Hackett, Bayliss, Obikwu, Collins.
OFF: House, Varfolomeev, Street, Draper.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne69 min: Here comes a triple Chelsea change.
ON: Mheuka, Neto, Cucurella.
OFF: George, Gittens, Enzo.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
21:12 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAmateurish defending again from a Chelsea team who rarely seem to know where the ball is.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne67 min: Superb defending by Chalobah to clear the danger, Draper then fires an effort into the side-netting.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:11 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne66 min: Montsma hit the post early on but is way off target with a free-kick from range.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:07 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne63 min: Yellow cards beginning to be shown with regularity now as Lincoln’s House is booked for a foul on Fernandez.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
21:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFilip Jorgensen has been really woeful tonight. His ability to come for crosses and then accurately catch or punch them has been really dreadfully poor.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne60 min: Gusto picks out Buonanotte in the middle but the Chelsea goalscorer heads the ball wide.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
21:04 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDecent spell in the game for Lincoln, who have not given up hope of making it them rather than Chelsea who progress from this cup tie.
A reminder: we need a winner on the night. Level after 90 minutes and we'll head straight to penalties.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne58 min: That is Garnacho’s night over. He is replaced by Estevao just as Jorgensen almost gifts Lincoln a goal with more unconvincing goalkeeping.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
21:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne56 min: Draper with a really poor tackle on Gusto and he is booked.
Yellow card for Enzo Fernandez too.
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea
20:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne54 min: Lincoln almost equalise from Bradley’s header but Chalobah and Hato combine to make a clearance.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
20:56 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTwo goals in an instant for Chelsea, after Facundo Buonanotte notches his first for the club. It's been a much better start to this second half from the Blues.
What was that first half all about?!
Lincoln 1-2 Chelsea | Facundo Buonanotte ‘50
20:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne50 min: GOAL!
Chelsea hit Lincoln cold right at the start of the second half as Facundo Buonanotte completes the turnaround!
GOAL! Lincoln 1-1 Chelsea | Tyrique George ‘48
20:52 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne48 min: GOAL!
From out of nowhere, Chelsea are back on level terms.
A wonderful strike from Tyrique George!
KICK-OFF
20:49 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBack underway at the LNER Stadium.
No changes from Chelsea.
Chelsea with work to do
20:44 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneA huge second half coming up for Chelsea as they look to turn things around.
Here is a reminder of the options on the bench.
Slonina, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Harrison, Walsh, Estevao, Neto, Mheuka.
Street's goal
20:41 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt is a really poor pass from Enzo Fernandez, but credit to Lincoln for being alert.
Lincoln City have capitalised on a defensive mix-up from Chelsea to take the lead 😳 pic.twitter.com/gc0wC2wA8b
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 23, 2025
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
20:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe half-time whistle signals the end of a miserable 45 minutes for Chelsea, who deserve to be a goal down to Lincoln.
The hosts have more bite about them. They also - and this is damning - have more quality.
HALF-TIME
20:34 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln 1-0 Chelsea
Chelsea are staring at an Carabao Cup third round exit as they trail against Lincoln.
Robert Street with the only goal of the game so far.
Lincoln 1-0 Chelsea
20:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45+3 min: Long Lincoln throw to end the half...Chelsea defend it well.
Lincoln 1-0 Chelsea
20:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45 min: Three minutes of stoppage time.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
20:29 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFacundo Buonanotte has his head in his hands... as Lincoln take the lead against Chelsea. The Blues suffer real ignominy here and go a goal down to third-tier Lincoln. Deary me.
GOAL! Lincoln 1-0 Chelsea | Robert Street ‘41
20:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne41 min: A shock is on the cards as a loose Chelsea pass is cut out and Robert Street side-foots Lincoln ahead.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
20:26 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneGittens unlucky to find only the side netting there but that was a fine piece of skill to turn out of a tight situation. Chelsea being restricted to half-chances at present.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne40 min: Chelsea try to build some attacks but balls in from Garnacho and then Gusto are dealt with comfortably.
Fernandez then goes down on the box but nothing is given as Gittens fires a shot into the side-netting from an acute angle.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:22 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne36 min: Some interesting stats.
Lincoln have had eight shots compared to Chelsea’s one.
However, still no shots on target from the hosts.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne33 min: Some respite for Chelsea as Buonanotte requires treatment, chance for Enzo Maresca to get a message across to his players.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:17 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne32 min: How have Lincoln not scored?
Jorgensen makes a mess of his clearance but Bradley gets in the way of Draper’s shot. His own team-mate!
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:16 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne31 min: Garnacho had switched wings from left to right, but swapped back over before being caught offside.
At the other end, Lincoln win yet another corner.
More defending for Chelsea to do.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne29 min: Corner comes in for Lincoln and Bradley gets above Fofana but can’t guide his header on target.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
20:13 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln fans really not taking to Alejandro Garnacho. At all. Every time he receives the ball he is booed, and every time he is fouled there are loud claims he has dived.
Some decent ball-carries by him already.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:13 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne27 min: Gittens gets to the byline and digs out a cross, it’s too long though as the ball clears every Chelsea player in the box.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne25 min: Here comes another long throw from Hamer...
No, he plays it short and the attack breaks down not too long after.
Reckon he will launch the ball into the Chelsea box next time.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne23 min: CLOSE!
Hamer’s long throw is allowed to travel all the way across the Chelsea box before it eventually runs out of play.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:07 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne21 min: Andrey Santos is shown a yellow card for a tackle on Street. Chelsea midfielder can have no complaints and now he must be careful.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne19 min: CHANCE!
Enzo Fernandez picks out Jamie Gittens’ run with a fine pass but the winger can’t keep his effort down.
He could have squared the ball to Buonanotte.
Chelsea’s best moment of the tie so far.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne18 min: Garnacho goes down slightly too easily and doesn’t win a free-kick. Imagine the boos for the winger are set to increase after that attempt.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
20:01 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBuonanotte is holding his lower back in some pain but is fine to continue. He's had a very bright start for Chelsea, who are slowly coming into the contest (at last).
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
20:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne15 min: Chelsea have managed to weather that early Lincoln storm and are beginning to see much more of the ball.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
19:59 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne12 min: Looked like Darikwa was shown a yellow card for a foul on Garnacho.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
19:57 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne11 min: Draper goes down in the box under pressure from Gusto but no penalty is awarded.
No VAR at this stage of the competition, so there will be no review.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
19:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne10 min: Good news for Chelsea is that Fofana is moving fine after that clash with Jorgensen.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
19:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne9 min: Non-stop pressure from Lincoln as Hamer’s attempt is deflected behind for a corner.
The set-piece creates chaos before Chelsea clear, ball is returned and Draper slices an effort wide.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
19:52 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneChelsea just cannot keep the ball in these opening minutes. The Lincoln high-press is ferocious.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
19:49 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne3 min: Concern for Chelsea as Fofana undergoes the concussion protocols after being clattered into by Jorgensen.
Dom Smith at the LNER Stadium
19:48 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln centimeters away from taking a first-minute lead over Chelsea. That's how poorly the visitors have started here.
Lincoln 0-0 Chelsea
19:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne2 min: Almost a dream start for Lincoln as Montsma sees his effort come back off the inside of the post!
KICK-OFF!
19:45 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWe are underway in this Carabao Cup clash.
HERE WE GO!
19:41 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe two teams have emerged from the tunnel, kick-off is fast approaching!
Dom Smith the LNER Stadium
19:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneI’ve just watched two Lincoln City fans notice Geoff Shreeves walking past them and both of them broke into beaming smiles.
Love cup ties like this, always more special when the underdog is drawn at home.
Not long now
19:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe pre-match preparations are complete and kick-off is not far away!
Dom Smith the LNER Stadium
19:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOur very own Dom Smith has delivered his thoughts on the Chelsea team news!
🗣 "That's quite frustrating for Enzo Maresca, but he's just going to have to contend with it."@MrDomSmith gives his thoughts on the Chelsea team news!
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) September 23, 2025
LIVE: https://t.co/UvKMsTmwks#LINCHE | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/gyvTr3uxyA
Lincoln form
19:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln 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.
Team news reminder
19:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is how both teams will line-up today.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato, Fernandez (c), Santos, Garnacho, Buonanotte, Gittens, George.
Substitutes: Slonina, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Harrison, Walsh, Estevao, Neto, Mheuka.
Lincoln XI: Jeacock, Darikwa, Montsma, Towler, McGrandles, Bradley, Street, House, Hamer, Varfolomeev, Draper.
Substitutes: Wickens, Reach, Hackett, Bayliss, Collins, Thorn, Ring, Okoronkwo, Obikwu.
Chelsea dressing room
19:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBehind the scenes at the LNER Stadium as the Chelsea dressing room is prepared ahead of kick-off.
Acheampong absence explained
19:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJosh Acheampong missed out on Chelsea’s squad for Tuesday night’s trip to Lincoln due to illness.
Acheampong has not featured for the Blues since a fine performance on the opening weekend of the season against Crystal Palace.
He was seen as likely to start at the LNER Stadium in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Lincoln City but was left out of the squad due to flu.
Chelsea out to avoid cup loss
19:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWe have seen a few shocks in the Carabao Cup already this season, Chelsea will be keen to ensure they don’t suffer an early exit.
Lincoln City. 📌 pic.twitter.com/qvRmHHuoPp
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 23, 2025
Chelsea changes
19:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAs expected, Enzo Maresca has rung the Chelsea changes this evening.
Only Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez keep their places from the team that started the 2-1 loss against Manchester United at the weekend.
This means Alejandro Garnacho makes his first start in Chelsea colours.
Big night
18:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt is a massive occasion for the Lincoln players tonight.
💼 Ready for business.
— Lincoln City FC 🇺🇦 (@LincolnCity_FC) September 23, 2025
Dom Smith the LNER Stadium
18:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt is a Chelsea team not wholly different from what we expected, but there are definitely some surprises there.
Chief among them is that Josh Acheampong is not involved at all. Did so well at centre-back against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend yet is not involved and it's understood that's because he's ill.
Would have been a great chance for him to make a rare start.
That means Chalobah and Fofana start at the back again, outlining the lack of available options in central defence.
Chelsea were told too late of the rule change that meant Marc Guiu could in fact play, so it is Tyrique George, as expected, who leads the line.
Lincoln team in full
18:45 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln XI: Jeacock, Darikwa, Montsma, Towler, McGrandles, Bradley, Street, House, Hamer, Varfolomeev, Draper.
Substitutes: Wickens, Reach, Hackett, Bayliss, Collins, Thorn, Ring, Okoronkwo, Obikwu.
Chelsea team in full
18:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneChelsea XI: Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato, Fernandez (c), Santos, Garnacho, Buonanotte, Gittens, George.
Substitutes: Slonina, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Harrison, Walsh, Estevao, Neto, Mheuka.
CONFIRMED LINCOLN TEAM NEWS
18:36 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAnd lining up for the hosts...
5️⃣ changes from Luton
— Lincoln City FC 🇺🇦 (@LincolnCity_FC) September 23, 2025
🇳🇱 Lewis Montsma starts in defence
🇺🇦 Ivan Varfolomeev in the middle
🔢 Our team to face Chelsea.
CONFIRMED CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
18:34 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is the team Enzo Maresca has selected to face Lincoln...
Your Chelsea tonight! 💙#CFC | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/FquBlgYLY1
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 23, 2025
Tonight's fixtures
18:31 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere are the Carabao Cup third round ties taking place tonight.
Round Three continues tonight! 🙌#EFL | #CarabaoCup
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) September 23, 2025
Dom Smith the LNER Stadium
18:27 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt's a lovely sunny evening in Lincoln, at the ground formerly known as Sincil Bank but now called the 'LNER Stadium'.
Chelsea will be hoping to hit their third-tier hosts like a freight train.
Sorry about that.
Carabao Cup results
18:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDue to the scheduling of the European fixtures this season, the Carabao Cup third round ties have been staggered across two weeks.
Four games took place last week with Swansea causing a shock against Ange Postecoglou's Nottingham Forest.
Crystal Palace and Brentford needed penalties to overcome Millwall and Aston Villa respectively, while Grimsby beat Sheffield Wednesday to continue their cup run.
Gary Neville issues brutal verdict on Chelsea
18:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneGary Neville believes Chelsea have left themselves “well short” in attack despite spending nearly £1.5billion in the transfer market.
Chelsea lost 2-1 against Manchester United on Saturday and still look some way off being a team that could challenge for the title this season.
New £60million signing Joao Pedro led the line at Old Trafford, with Liam Delap out with a hamstring injury until December and Cole Palmer subbed early with a groin issue.
Neville has criticised Chelsea’s lack of attacking options and questioned how they can spend so much money but still lack the quality in key areas to challenge for the title.
Click here for Neville's quotes in full!
Predicted Chelsea XI
18:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCole Palmer is a major doubt for Chelsea’s trip to Lincoln in the Carabao Cup third round today and not expected to feature.
Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro have been playing through small knocks of late and are also likely not to start against Lincoln, though Blues boss Enzo Maresca admitted on Monday that injuries to Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia in midfield limit the possibility to rest Caicedo.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Gusto, Tosin, Acheampong, Hato; Santos, Fernandez; Garnacho, Buonanotte, Gittens; George
Ballon d'Or rankings
18:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOusmane Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d’Or, ahead of Lamine Yamal.
Vitinha was third and Mohamed Salah came fourth.
Cole Palmer in eighth was the highest-ranked English player in the voting, with Harry Kane perhaps unfortunate to only be 13th having scored more than 40 goals for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Click here for the rankings in full!
Maresca reveals where Chelsea must improve
18:06 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEnzo Maresca has admitted it was “not a good week” for Chelsea, with defeats by Bayern Munich and Manchester United a nightmare response to conceding an injury-time equaliser at Brentford.
Chelsea headed into the September international break sitting second in the Premier League with two victories and a draw from their opening three games, but have now not won since August.
Chelsea’s fourth away game in a row sees them travel to Lincoln on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup third round.
The Imps are third in League One and have been in fine form this season but Chelsea, even after Maresca has made the expected raft of changes to his team, are the overwhelming favourites to progress.
Four Chelsea players set for chance in Carabao Cup clash
18:01 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEnzo Maresca says he would rather Chelsea be facing Premier League opponents than League One side high-fliers Lincoln in the Carabao Cup.
But tonight's third-round tie will be an opportunity for him to take a look at several players as he prepares to make changes to his team.
Some fringe players and new signings yet to catch fire will hope to press their case for greater game time in the weeks ahead, so the visit to the LNER Stadium should be taken seriously.
With that in mind, Dom Smith assesses who will be looking to take their chance against Lincoln…
.jpg)
Maresca reveals Palmer meeting for injury solution
17:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneChelsea manager Enzo Maresca will hold a meeting with medical staff to discuss the club’s approach to Cole Palmer's persistent groin injury, writes Dom Smith.
Palmer was substituted after 21 minutes of Saturday’s Premier League defeat by Manchester United as his ongoing issue caused yet more problems.
The 23-year-old had already missed matches against West Ham and Fulham this season and was a second-half substitute against Brentford.
On Monday, Maresca played down the suggestion that Palmer might need to undergo surgery if the injury continues to linger.
But now the Chelsea manager has revealed that a meeting will be held to discuss the best course of action as the club manage their star player’s fitness.
Today's settings
17:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCarabao Cup football at the LNER Stadium!
Lincoln vs Chelsea latest match odds
17:45 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLincoln to win: 10/1
Chelsea to win: 1/6
Draw: 4/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Head to head (h2h) history and results
17:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThese 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 wins: 1
Chelsea wins: 5
Draws: 2
Score prediction
17:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOf course, anything is possible in these early stages of the cup, and Enzo 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.
Chelsea to win, 3-1.
Chelsea team news
17:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneRobert Sanchez has joined Chelsea’s confirmed list of absentees for the trip to Lincoln, having been sent off against Manchester United at the weekend. That means Fillip Jorgensen should start between the posts.
Alejandro Garnacho is expected to make his full Chelsea debut, while the likes of Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Andrey Santos, Facundo Buonanotte and Tyrique George will all be pushing for starts.
Lincoln team news
17:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJack Moylan is working his way back from ankle surgery and Dom Jefferies is a reported frontline doubt due to a hip problem.
How to watch
17:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live Sky Sports. Build-up to the game begins at 7pm BST on Sky Sports Football ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can catch the contest live online, via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action via Standard Sport’s dedicated live match blog!
Lincoln vs Chelsea live
17:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Lincoln vs Chelsea!
Can Chelsea get back on track after three games without a win across all competitions? Enzo Maresca's side are heavy favourites to swat away the League One side and reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here ahead of kick-off, which comes at 7.45pm BST from the LNER Stadium. Stick with us!
