Chelsea vs. Scunthorpe: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Chelsea's FA Cup campaign kicks off on Sunday, and Guus Hiddink will be relishing it.
The Dutchman is back at the club for a second spell as interim manager, and his last game in charge in 2009 was in the FA Cup final.
Chelsea defeated Everton 2-1 that day thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
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It's an altogether different challenge for Hiddink this time around as he plots his road to Wembley as Chelsea entertain League One Scunthorpe United in the third round.
Chelsea haven't lost a game in the third round of the FA Cup for 18 years, and given their lofty status as Premier League champions, they are expected to progress on Sunday.
But Chelsea fans need only remember last season's shock at the hands of Bradford City to understand things are not always straightforward in the cup.
It was in the fourth round that the Bantams pulled off a massive upset by defeating Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge, coming from two goals down in the process.
Hiddink said his team will guard against that when they entertain Scunthorpe.
"We take all our opponents very seriously. My team and myself have watched part of [Scunthorpe's] games," Hiddink explained at his press conference on Friday.
"It’s their game here, and they are dreaming of getting a good result. They have players like the striker [Paddy] Madden who already has 14 goals, so we are very well aware who is playing and who can cause danger so we take this opponent very seriously."
Hiddink did explain he hasn't seen any of the action from that Bradford defeat. Regardless, he'll be hoping League 1 opponents don't come back to bite Chelsea again.
Match details
Date: Sunday, January 10
Time: 2 p.m. GMT/9 a.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK only)/Fox Sports 1 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: BT Sport app/Fox Soccer2Go (U.S. only)
Last 5 Games
| Dec. 14 | Leicester City 2-1 Chelsea |
| Dec. 19 | Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland |
| Dec. 26 | Chelsea 2-2 Watford |
| Dec. 28 | Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea |
| Jan. 3 | Crystal Palace 0-3 Chelsea |
| Dec. 15 | Scunthorpe United 3-0 Leyton Orient |
| Dec. 19 | Scunthorpe United 0-1 Sheffield United |
| Dec. 26 | Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Scunthorpe United |
| Dec. 28 | Scunthorpe United 1-1 Rochdale |
| Jan. 2 | Scunthorpe United 1-1 Wigan Athletic |
Predicted Lineups
Both sides have no suspensions heading into this match, but Chelsea do have some injury concerns.
Radamel Falcao remains on the sidelines. As does Loic Remy. That means Diego Costa is Chelsea's only fit first-team striker for the visit of Scunthorpe.
Eden Hazard is also out injured with a groin problem.
Chelsea face West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday, so we're expecting key players to be rested ahead of the Premier League fixture.
As for Scunthorpe, they're expected to welcome Gary McSheffrey back from injury and leading goalscorer Paddy Madden is also expected to be fit after a hamstring complaint.
Tom Hopper is cup-tied.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Rahman; Matic, Loftus-Cheek; Pedro, Oscar, Kenedy; Diego Costa.
Scunthorpe (4-2-3-1): Daniels; Clarke, Canavan, Mirfin, Laird; Bishop, Dawson; Madden, Ness, McSheffrey; Van Veen.
Key Players
Kenedy
If Kenedy starts for Chelsea on Sunday, the Brazilian is going to be a big figure in attack.
Without Eden Hazard available, Chelsea will need their attackers to impose themselves on the Scunthorpe defence and stretch them in the early stages to create openings in front of goal.
We haven't seen Kenedy in a Chelsea shirt since November's cameo against Tottenham Hotspur, which is surprising.
The 19-year-old has looked a fine addition to the squad this term, exciting fans whenever he has appeared.
His best performance came against Walsall in the League Cup in September, a night when he scored his first and only Chelsea goal.
He and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were the inspiration in a 4-1 win, and we should expect a similar performance on Sunday if he plays.
Paddy Madden
The reaction to Madden's goalscoring exploits may be he's only doing in League One. But it doesn't change anything—the Irishman knows where the goal is and is no stranger to finding the back of the net.
Chelsea will do well to remember that on Sunday.
Madden has 14 goals this season—two of which came in the first round of the FA Cup against Southend United—which outlines his threat. It's all the more impressive when we consider he's doing it in a side that sits in the bottom half of the table.
His 11 league goals account for over a third of Scunthorpe's this season, showing just how vital he is to the cause. It's no accident his recent barren spell—Madden has scored just once since late November—has coincided with the Iron winning one game in their last seven league outings.
If they're to take anything from Stamford Bridge, Scunthorpe need their hitman on form.
Prediction
Chelsea 5-0 Scunthorpe United
Odds
Home Win: 1-5
Away Win: 20-1
Draw: 8-1
First Goalscorer: Diego Costa (3-1)
Odds via Oddschecker.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
