The Charlton vs Chelsea clash in the third round of the 2025/26 FA Cup should be a really enticing battle between two teams from separate divisions of the English football pyramid, but it should be a pretty eventful match-up when the two teams meet at The Valley on Saturday, January 10.
The Charlton vs Chelsea London derby will see Charlton look to produce a truly special performance to pull off a massive upset against the Blues. Chelsea, meanwhile, will look to get the Liam Rosenior era off to the perfect start with a dominant win, and the stakes of this clash should make for a really action-packed one between these two unevenly matched teams.
Match Details
The Valley
London, England
Saturday, 10 January
20:00 GMT
Struggling Charlton Look To Pull off FA Cup Upset Against Reinvigorated Chelsea
The Charlton vs Chelsea clash should be a game with a lot of chances in it because of how eager both teams will be to get a win in this London derby.
Charlton have their own struggles to deal with heading into this match, as they’re in 19th place in the EFL Championship and have only one win in their last six matches, with the Addicks looking to uplift their momentum levels with a huge win over Chelsea.
For Chelsea, this upcoming match will be one where they lay the foundations for a potentially successful period under Liam Rosenior as their head coach. Rosenior will be eager to motivate his players to produce some clinical, entertaining football in his first match in charge and ensure they have a positive vibe to them, so that the fans can buy into his system.
Chelsea have had three wins in their last five matches against Charlton, and will look to maintain that good record with a dominant win in this upcoming FA Cup clash.
Can In-Form Charlie Kelman Stun Chelsea at the Valley?
Charlton Athletic know that they face a monumental task in eliminating Chelsea from the 2024/25 FA Cup and get a big win at the Valley. They will need to go into the match with a positive attitude, as well having to be at their sturdiest defensively to frustrate the Premier League side and force them into making mistakes.
A lot of responsibility will be on the shoulders of Charlton forward Charlie Kelman, who is their second-highest scorer in the 2025/26 season. Kelman is coming off a brace in Charlton’s recent 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers, and he needs to maintain his momentum level against Chelsea. The 24-year-old forward needs to be smart with his off-the-ball movement to disrupt the Blues’ backline, but also has to be lethal in finishing off chances in an efficient fashion to raise his side’s chances of getting a big win.
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Struggling Alejandro Garnacho Eager To Stamp His Place at Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea
Alejandro Garnacho should get his chance to impress for Chelsea in the upcoming cup match against Charlton, but he needs to be at his ruthless best and work his socks off to fully win over the confidence of Liam Rosenior. The Argentine winger, who joined the Blues from Manchester United in the 2025 summer window, has struggled for consistency with his goal contributions since joining the London side.
Garnacho has four goals and three assists in 20 games so far for Chelsea, out of which two goals came in the Carabao Cup. He will be eager to win over Rosenior by proving his worth to the Blues’ frontline, making better runs into the final third and being more prolific with his decision-making. Garnacho has to raise the accuracy levels of his crosses and shooting attempts to be able to torment the Charlton backline and get amongst the goals to help them get a big FA Cup win.
Charlton vs Chelsea Injuries
Charlton injuries: Kayne Ramsay, Matt Godden, Onel Hernandez, Reece Burke
Chelsea injuries: Andrey Santos, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Romero Lavia, Dario Essugo
Charlton vs Chelsea Predicted Lineups
Here, we look at the Charlton vs Chelsea predicted lineups as Nathan Jones and Liam Rosenior are both likely to field their strongest possible lineups.
Charlton predicted XI: Thomas Kaminski (GK), Macaulay Gillesphey, Lloyd Jones, Amari’i Bell, Conor Coventry, Greg Docherty, Sonny Carey, James Bree, Tyreeece Campbell, Isaac Olaofe, Charlie Kelman
Chelsea predicted XI: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Josh Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Jorrel Hato, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Estevao, Cole Palmer, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 07.01.2026
