Luton Town will take a break from their pursuit of promotion in the Championship to welcome current Champions League holders Chelsea to Kenilworth Road in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday evening.
The in-form Hatters have already handily dispatched Harrogate Town (4-0) and Cambridge United (3-0) to reach this stage of the competition, alongside a run of just one defeat in their last eight league matches, although Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea will provide a different proposition - even off the back of their agonising penalty shootout loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
For their part, the Blues cruised past Chesterfield 5-1 in the third round but made hard wok of a home tie against League One Plymouth in the previous round - labouring to a 2-1 victory after extra-time - and will be wary of a Nathan Jones-led side brimming with confidence.
Luton have lost eight of their last 11 FA Cup matches against top-flight sides, including a 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round last year, but if they can buck that trend then they will reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1993-94 when, coincidentally, they lost to Chelsea in the semi-finals.
Here’s everything you need to know about the FA Cup game at Kenilworth Road.
When is it?
The match will kick-off at 19:15 GMT on Wednesday, 2 March at Kenilworth Road, Luton.
How can I watch?
The match will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with coverage starting at 19:00 GMT.
What’s the team news?
After 120 minutes, plus a penalty shootout, against Liverpool on Sunday, Thomas Tuchel will likely ring the changes in his Chelsea selection to give fresh legs a chance to shine.
Hakim Ziyech and Andreas Christensen both missed the final with Achilles issues, while Cesar Azpilicueta was substituted off after picking up a knock, so Tuchel may not risk any of the trio as they continue to fight on multiple fronts. Ben Chilwell continues to be a long-term absentee with his ACL injury.
Luton have endured something of a midfield crisis in recent weeks but Luke Berry and Jordan Clark are back in training, while Robert Snodgrass has been signed as a free agent but Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu is currently being rested due to fatigue and both Henri Lansbury and Elijah Adebayo went off during Luton’s 1-0 win over Derby at the weekend with knocks, so face a race to be fit.
Predicted line-ups
Luton XI: Steer; Burke, Lockyer, Naismith; Bree, Bell, Berry, Campbell, Clark; Cornick, Hylton
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Sarr, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi; Pulisic, Werner; Lukaku
Odds
Luton: 15/2
Draw: 18/5
Chelsea: 1/3
Prediction
Having been burned in the Carabao Cup final, Chelsea will be desperate to keep their chances of winning a domestic cup alive. Luton won’t go down without a fight but the Blues should have too much for them. Luton 1-3 Chelsea
