The Carabao Cup may not have been top priority for Chelsea at the start of the season, but they are 180 minutes away from a shot at a trophy that
Mauricio Pochettino hopes could be the catalyst for a new era of success at Stamford Bridge.
A two-legged semi-final against Championship side Middlesbrough represents a huge opportunity for Chelsea to reach Wembley.
With no European football this season, Pochettino has taken the Carabao Cup seriously and is expected to select his strongest team at the Riverside Stadium tonight.
For the Argentine, a final against either Liverpool or Fulham is an opportunity to answer critics who point out he won nothing with Tottenham.
More importantly, it is a chance for Chelsea to change their story under their new owners.
It took Roman Abramovich 18 months to win his first trophy at Chelsea and, after a difficult first season and a half, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital could match that.
After Jose Mourinho guided Chelsea to the Carling Cup in 2005, back-to-back titles followed.
Much has changed in the 19 years since, winning the Premier League arguably becoming harder in an era of Manchester City dominance. But what remains the same is that cup success can propel a project forward.
"The club mentality is about winning," said Pochettino, who has challenged his players to show they have the mindset of Chelsea teams of old.
"We have a winning mentality at Chelsea and we can't talk in any different way. But the group of today — the staff, the coaches, the players — we need to build this and match the club in terms of the mentality it has."
Despite three straight wins since Christmas, Chelsea still look far from the finished article. At times this season, everything has felt flat, from the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge to the expensive, young players on the pitch.
Defeats, injuries and a poor mentality have undermined Pochettino's attempts to build momentum. He is increasingly asking for time, with Chelsea only 10th in the table.
Pochettino accepts their shortcomings. After beating Preston in the FA Cup on Saturday, he said he was "disappointed" with Cole Palmer for laughing off a bad early miss, telling him to improve on and off the pitch.
Armando Broja, who scored the first goal at the weekend, was told to improve his body language. Enzo Fernandez, who completed the scoring, was praised by Pochettino in the same breath as criticism was delivered.
Pochettino was unhappy Chelsea took Preston lightly and is well aware of the threat posed by Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough, who sit 12th in the Championship but are just four points outside the play-off places and gave Aston Villa an FA Cup scare at the weekend.
"We need to match their desire and energy," he said.
