HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chelsea - 105 years old today - 105 Years of History!! Tonight the reserves are in action at Cobham against an extremely young Stoke City side. Normally Stoke's manager Tony Pullis plays a strong side, giving his 1st team fringe players a game, like he did earlier in the reserve season when Chelsea lost 3-2 to a last minute goal.
But with Stoke in action in the Premiership this evening all of Stoke's available 1st team players have been called into their squad.
Tonight Chelsea have the chance to avenge that defeat and Chelsea have Fabio Borini and Danny Sturridge up front leading the line. Also starting are Nemanja Matic, Gael Kakuta and Patrick van Aanholt who was an unused sub last Saturday in the FA Cup.
Speaking of the FA Cup. Chelsea's date against Aston Villa in the semi-final at Wembley has been set for Saturday 10th April 2010 with a 5pm kick-off.
Reserve coach Steve Holland has explained the difficulties in naming a settled side for each game, bearing in mind Chelsea have lost their last three games.
Holland said, "It is up and down all the time. My group is three tiers. There is a core of four to six reserve players who have pretty much always been with me, who haven't been out on loan, then there is half a dozen youth players with me most of the time, but as soon as the FA Youth Cup kicks in they go back to Dermot Drummy, and then at the top of the group I've got another six, the likes of which I have just mentioned, who are with Carlo more often than not, particularly when there are a couple of injuries like there have been in the last few weeks.
"It's always changing, and the team that played in the last league game against West Ham will bear no resemblance to that which will play tonight, it will almost be two different teams.
"Whatever team we put out will always have good players, whether they're young ones or even younger ones."
Chelsea: Rhys Taylor, Jeffrey Bruma, Carl Magnay, Danny Mills Pappoe, Patrick van Aanholt, Liam Bridcutt, Jacob Mellis, Nemanja Matic, Gael Kakuta, Fabio Borini, Daniel Sturridge.
Subs: Jan Sebek, Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Jacopo Sala, Conor Clifford, Marko Mitrovic
From a Kakuta clearance, Danny breaks away forces the 'keeper into a parry, Kakuta follows up and takes one touch before hammering the ball low into the net.
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