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www.chelseafc.com ( the club's official website), it is NOT a property of OSSYsport.com . OSSYsport is just bring it nearer to you.
The Blues head back to the stadium where we began our 2014 cup fixtures. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton look in detail at the trip to Derby…
TALKING POINTS
Leaders Chelsea are the first Barclays Premier League side Derby have faced in the Capital One Cup this season. Burnley, in 2008, were the last team from outside the top flight to eliminate the Londoners in this competition. The Blues are looking to reach the final for the first time since 2007/08 having lost out in the 2012/13 semi-finals to Swansea.
The last remaining top four Premier League side in this competition, now have the best defensive record in England with just 13 goals conceded. Ten have been conceded on the road and Derby have let in just eight league goals in 10 matches at the iPro Stadium (formerly Pride Park).
After the weekend's matches the Blues retain a 100 per cent record at home and have scored 20 goals – eight more than second-place Man City have hit at the Etihad. Jose Mourinho's side have netted 16 on the road.
Key Stat
Derby have lost their last three knockout games against Premier League opposition, the most recent being Chelsea in the FA Cup.
Steve McClaren's side are on a three-match winning streak at the iPro and shut the opposition out in the last two. Yet they slipped from top place to third after Saturday's trip to the Riverside.
The 0-2 defeat to Middlesbrough was a case of Rams, Bam, thank you ma'am, as prolific Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford scored the first and was then fouled by County defender Ryan Shotton in the area. The resulting penalty produced a second goal and the red card shown to Shotton rules him out this evening.
That slip puts Derby's priorities for the season into sharper focus. Former England boss McClaren's main aim must be to bring Premier League football back to Derbyshire after a seven-year absence. They were beaten in the play-off final last season.
In an already congested Championship fixture list they might not miss the distraction of more midweek cup fixtures in January. The Rams reached the semi-finals in this competition in 2008/09 but it was of no assistance in the league as they finished 18th.
Their chief executive Sam Rush recently said: 'We had to do quite a lot of difficult and unglamorous stuff and, as a result of that, we are in a good place now.'
Part of that 'stuff' was the replacement of Brian Clough's son, Nigel, with McClaren. What was potentially an emotive issue, given the Clough legacy, dissipated as the team soared towards the play-offs, and they have been flying high again in this campaign.
For Chelsea, the Champions League Round of 16 draw produced a repeat of last season's quarter-finals and a return to Paris Saint-Germain. Uncharacteristic defending handed PSG a 3-1 advantage from the first leg but a thrilling 2-0 rally took the roof of the Bridge as the Blues progressed on away goals. That was also the scoreline the last time Mourinhoand McClaren met at the iPro, in January in the FA Cup.
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was named Belgian Sportsman of the Year at the weekend, the first footballer to be accorded the honour. Eden Hazard came fifth in the voting.
Also in Belgium on Sunday, Chelsea's Under-12 team won the Christmas Truce International Tournament at Ypres, the young Blues beating a Paris Saint-Germain side. Just as importantly, the tournament helped commemorate the 100th anniversary of a brief pause for peace during World War One.
Chelsea lost a stalwart former backroom staff member last week in George Price, whose quiet attentiveness helped nurture successive generations of our youth players. Among many roles at the club he was Reserve team physiotherapist. Everyone at Chelsea extends sincere condolence and thoughts to his family and friends.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes tonight at Derby, 30 minutes extra time will be played. If there is still no winner the tie will be decided on penalties. For those teams progressing, the draw for the two-leg semi-final (ties to be played in January) is tomorrow evening.
Capital One Cup fourth round fixtures
Tonight
Derby v Chelsea 7.45pm - Sky Sports
Sheffield United v Southampton 7.45pm
Wednesday
Bournemouth v Liverpool 7.45pm - Sky Sports
Tottenham v Newcastle 7.45pm
Disclaimer: Please pre-match briefing is courtesy of www.chelseafc.com , it is not a property of OSSYsport.com . OSSYsport is just bring it nearer to you.