For the second time in five days Chelsea play League Two opposition in a domestic cup game.
Having swept aside Macclesfield Town in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, the Blues travel to Adams Park to play fellow League Two outfit Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup semi-final first leg.
With Tottenham playing Arsenal in the other semi-final, Chelsea have a great chance of reaching their second League Cup final in three years.
Not that Jose Mourinho is taking Wycombe lightly.
Paul Lambert’s side have already defeated Premiership opposition in Fulham and Charlton en route to the last four, and Mourinho will give Wycombe the respect they deserve.
“Of course they are a team from a lower division but they are a good team, well organised,” he said.
“Their coach Paul Lambert has a lot of experience of football at a high level and we know we have to respect them.
“We have a second leg at Stamford Bridge so if something wrong happens we have a game at home to take us to Cardiff. But if we can do it at Wycombe, we’ll do it at Wycombe.”
Doing it at Wycombe may not prove easy.
Mourinho is still without Carlo Cudicini, Petr Cech, Joe Cole, John Terry, Khalid Boulahrouz and Arjen Robben through injury, while Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba are suspended.
Without a recognised central defender to call on, Mourinho is expected to pair Michael Essien and Paulo Ferreira at the heart of the back four.
Scott Sinclair, Ben Sahar and Michael Woods retain their places in the squad.
Wycombe will be without Anthony Grant, who is on-loan from Chelsea, as the terms of his loan deal mean he is ineligible to face his parent club.
Chelsea have never before played Wycombe in a competitive game.
Related links
- Cup week continues up Wycombe way
- Pre-match briefing: Wycombe Wanderers v. Cheslea
- Pat Nevin: It’s a knockout
- Ballack stories without substance says Jose
