Chelsea vs Wimbledon: 3 things to look out for in EFL Cup opener

Last season, the football gods did not favor Chelsea Football Club when it came to cup draws. It would only make sense for the English Football League to throw the west London outfit a bone considering that. It did just the trick, giving Chelsea their opponent outside the top-two tiers of English football in the EFL Cup since Barnsley in September 2020.

Coming off its first win of the young Premier League season, Mauricio Pochettino’s team encounter League Two side AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. It will be the first meeting between these two clubs since February 2000 in the Premier League. In order to reach this stage in the competition, the south-west London outfit came back to take down Championship side Coventry City in the last four minutes of regulation plus stoppage time.

The League Two outfit brought in eight permanent transfers, and two loanees in the hopes of improving from a campaign that nearly ended with non-league football around the corner. Though, winning the English top-flight for the Blues is a pipe dream, capturing a cup in Pochettino’s first year is not out of the realm of possibility.

A matchup against a lower-tier side like Wimbledon provides the chance to build momentum into the clash vs. Nottingham Forest over the weekend. Considering it is an unfamiliar opponent, here are three things to look out for on Wednesday night.

3 things to look out for against AFC Wimbledon

3. Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation

As of this past week, CFC has a new goalkeeper in town. Former New England Revolution stop stopper, Djordje Petrovic arrives with the current lead in Major League Soccer in total saves. At just £14m, the Blues received a goalkeeper with the ability to overtake Robert Sanchez in net at some point this season.

Last season in New England, the Serbian saved almost two-thirds of a goal more than expected per 90 minutes. With his 6-foot-4 frame, the former MLS keeper has a chance to solidify a role as the club’s No. 1. The ex-Brighton and Hove Albion man has been announced by the club as the man in goal on Wednesday due to the Serbian not having his work permit ready in time.

Sanchez has not impressed in the slightest so far, making each game critical if he seeks to keep this role through the end of the year. There may not be much action for Chelsea’s shot-stoppers, but the performance has to be considered an intriguing topic leading up to this fixture.

2. Wimbledon’s new No. 7 James Tilley

Fans of the west London side are most likely taking this match as a free space in the game BINGO. While it may be that, it does not mean the Dons have not been a solid football team in the early portions of this new campaign. The south-west London side is one of three teams in the fourth-tier of English football without a loss through five matches.

Former Crawley Town winger James Tilley is one of the biggest reasons why. In June, Tilley put pen to paper on a two-year contract with Wimbledon. Since then, the Englishmen has five of the club’s 13 goal contributions in League Two, accumulating four goals in just five games. The side’s No. 7 netted two against Colchester United FC back on August 15. If you are going to maintain a close watch on any of Johnnie Jackson’s men, Tilley is the one. For the majority of matches so far, the former Brighton youth player has been positioned on the right wing, behind two forwards up top.

1. Mason Burstow’s potential impact in the frontline

While many players on this CFC side are unfamiliar with the Dons, young striker Mason Burstow has some recent experience. On his loan in League One with Charlton Athletic, Burstow took the field as a substitute in the Addicks’ narrow one goal triumph over the fellow London outfit.

This is the game for Pochettino to provide competitors like the 20-year-old a chance to prove his worth as a potential impact piece this season. It is hard to bet against a player that scored his first professional goal on his first touch at that level.

The London native found the back of the net in pre-season against Borussia Dortmund on top of converting 10 goals at the Premier League Two level last year. As much as Nicolas Jackson is the striker to invest in for the foreseeable future, Burstow no doubt has the potential to lead the Blues to their first win in the EFL Cup since Antonio Rüdiger put the nail in Tottenham’s chances in January 2022.

The Chelsea FC vs. Wimbledon contest will be broadcast on talkSPORT 2 radio in the United Kingdom.