Chelsea v Plymouth: team news and how to watch the game
Chelsea host Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round at Stamford Bridge later today.
The Blues are of course overwhelming favourites against the League One outfit, but boss Thomas Tuchel has insisted they will take nothing for granted.
After a much-needed break, which Tuchel has described as “absolutely necessary” and “helped a lot”, Chelsea now face another busy spell of fixtures.
After this game they will fly out to Abu Dhabi ahead of the Club World Cup, before a return to Premier League action and soon the return of the Champions League.
How to watch Chelsea v Plymouth – what channel is it on?
The game is available to watch live via the BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Team news: Chelsea still without James
Reece James appears to still be some way from a return to the side.
The England international is not yet ready to train fully and will not be part of the squad which will travel to Abu Dhabi.
James has not played this year because of a nasty hamstring he suffered during the 1-1 draw against Brighton on 29 December.
He recently resumed light training, raising hopes of a potential return to first-team action sooner rather than later.
But Tuchel explained: “He is not in team training yet. He will need some time in team training to get the confidence back. He does not travel with us to the Club World Cup.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also out injured, while Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic have been on international duty and will not feature. But Andreas Christensen and Trevoh Chalobah are available again.
Youngsters Lewis Hall, Harvey Vale, Xavier Simons, and Charlie Webster have trained with the first-team squad this week and could feature against the Pilgrims.
Chelsea will be expected to ease into round five, but Tuchel has warned against complacency.
“They have nothing to lose, so we have to be prepared. We will give them full respect,” he said.
‘Huge opportunity’ for Kenedy
Injuries to James and Ben Chilwell, and Chelsea being unable to secure Emerson Palmieri’s early return from a season-long loan at Lyon, resulted in Kenedy returning to the Bridge.
The Brazilian first joined Chelsea in 2015 but has struggled for game time at the club and has been loaned out on five different occasions.
But he could get a chance to impress this weekend, with Tuchel insisting Kenedy has a “clean slate” and a “huge opportunity” to stake a claim for a place in the team.
“I think if we play with a wing-back it is the perfect role for him considering his profile as a player,” Tuchel said.
“He’s very, very talented. There was never a doubt about that, and now it’s about having the right mentality and the right mindset to take this huge opportunity whenever the next step is needed.
“He will fight for his place and the others will hopefully take on the fight to not let him take their place away and then it depends which formation we play. But a wing-back role suits him very well.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity for him and I’m more than happy to give it to him and to help him to make the best out of it.”
