Lincoln City will take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday night, in a match that the Blues will consider a cup banana skin.
The two teams are very different in stature, but as we've already seen in the Carabao Cup this season, that matters for very little in one-off matches.
As part of this week's round of EFL Cup betting tips, check out our Lincoln City vs Chelsea prediction below.
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Lincoln City vs Chelsea prediction: Chelsea to get the job done
Key Stats
- Chelsea have won their last five matches against lower league opposition.
- Lincoln City haven't beaten a PL side in the last 25 years.
- Both teams have scored in all of Chelsea's away matches this season.
Correct score prediction: Lincoln 1-3 Chelsea
Lincoln City are in much better form than Chelsea coming into this one, but the context that they compete against far worse clubs than the Blues do is obviously important. Chelsea should get back to winning ways here, and in a comfortable fashion.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Chelsea are huge favourites
- HOME: 12/1 (13.00) – 7.7%
- DRAW: 15/2 (8.50) – 11.8%
- AWAY: 2/13 (1.15) – 86.7%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
The Lincoln vs Chelsea odds illustrate just how big the gap is in quality between these two sides. Ladbrokes have made Chelsea the heavy favourites, giving them an 86.7% chance of winning the match, while Lincoln have been given a 7.7% chance of pulling off the upset.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: A first meeting in over 100 years
This is the first time that the two clubs have played each other since 1911, and it's fair to say a lot has changed since then. For what it's worth, Chelsea have won five of their eight overall encounters with Lincoln City, while the Imps have only ever won one match against Chelsea, an FA Cup victory in 1907.
Lincoln City preview: A couple of injury concerns
Lincoln City are expected to be without two players for this one, with Jack Moylan out with an ankle issue and Dom Jeffries unavailable due to a hip issue. Wolves loanee, Dexter Lembikisa, could make his debut for the club from the bench on Tuesday night.
Predicted lineup: Jeacock (GK), Montsma, Jackson, Bradley, Reach, Barbrook, House, Ring, Thorn, Draper, Okoronkwo
Last five results
- Lincoln 3-1 Luton
- Burton 0-1 Lincoln
- Lincoln 2-2 Wigan
- Lincoln 3-0 Notts County
- Lincoln 1-1 Mansfield
Chelsea preview: Rotation expected
After two brutal defeats against Bayern Munich and Manchester United, Enzo Maresca will be looking for a reset on Tuesday night, but he is unlikely to risk any of his most important players. Cole Palmer was subbed off early against Man Utd and won't play any part, and neither will the injured duo of Levi Colwill and Liam Delap.
Predicted lineup: Jorgensen (GK), Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Hato, Santos, Fernandez, Garnacho, George, Gittens, Guiu
Last five results
- Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea
- Bayern Munich 3-1 Chelsea
- Brentford 2-2 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
- West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Player to watch: Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho will have been gutted to not have played any part in Chelsea's match at Old Trafford on Saturday, but he will almost certainly start this one. The Argentinian is yet to register a goal or asssist since signing for the Blues, but this is a golden opportunity to change that.