Chelsea vs Leeds United: Team News
Chelsea vs Leeds United: Team News
Last Word on Sports brings you the latest team news and predicted lineups as Chelsea take on Leeds United in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea will be keen to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, and are likely to select a strong starting lineup. Opponents Leeds are unbeaten so far this season, having recorded two wins and two draws in their first four games, conceding just twice. The two sides met in last season’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, which saw Liam Rosenior’s Blues win 1-0 courtesy of an Enzo Fernandez goal.
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Chelsea vs Leeds United: Team News and Predicted Lineups for Carabao Cup Third-Round Clash
Date: Wednesday 8th September 2026
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-Off: 20:00 GMT
Last Meeting: Chelsea 1-0 Leeds (26 April 2026, FA Cup)
Referee: Jarred Gillet
Current Odds: Chelsea 8/11, Leeds 4/1
Chelsea Team News
Speaking before Chelsea vs Leeds United, Alonso confirmed that both Marco Palestra and Moises Caicedo are ‘not yet’ ready to return to the squad. He added that both players are being assessed game by game, but that Wednesday’s fixture “isn’t the right moment to take a risk.”
Levi Colwill is fit to start, whilst Emmanuel Emegha and Jordan Henderson are both still out injured.
On whether he is likely to name a strong squad, the Spaniard said: “We always assess everything in terms of where we are coming from and where we are going.
“We try to take all of the games and the cup ties very seriously. We want to field the best possible team.”
Leeds United Team News
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In his pre-match press conference, Whites boss Daniel Farke said there is a ‘little question mark’ over Dan James’ fitness, with the Welsh international picking up a back issue before Saturday’s match at Brighton.
Farke said that Leeds will rotate their side to help ‘integrate new players’, which could see backup goalkeeper Michael Zetterer make his debut.
On Harry Wilson’s tricky start to life at Leeds, the German said: “We play with a different style of football to Fulham, so it’s normal that he would need time to adapt.
“I’m happy with Harry. He’s a top professional”
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
GK: Mike Penders
CB: Wesley Fofana
CB: Maxence Lacroix
CB: Levi Colwill
RWB: Pedro Neto
LWB: Pep Chavarria
CM: Valentin Barco
CM: Malo Gusto
AM: Morgan Rogers
AM: Cole Palmer
ST: Danny Welbeck
Leeds Predicted Lineup
GK: Michael Zetterer
CB: James Justin
CB: Nico Elvedi
CB: Jaka Bijol
RWB: Jayden Bogle
LWB: Melvin Bard
CM: Ethan Ampadu
CM: Sean Longstaff
AM: Harry Wilson
AM: Brenden Aaronson
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The Last Word: Match Prediction
Whilst Leeds have enjoyed an impressive start to the season and are unbeaten so far, it seems likely that Chelsea will be just too good for them to handle. With the Blues keen to bounce back from Sunday’s defeat and Farke opting to rotate his side, the likes of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers could cause serious problems for Leeds’ backline.
Chelsea have scored ten goals in their opening four matches, and whilst the Whites have only conceded twice this season, we expect goals to flow freely in West London.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Leeds
Featured image courtesy of Imago/Sam Navarro