Full Chelsea squad revealed vs Preston with Christopher Nkunku injury blow and Romeo Lavia update

Mauricio Pochettino is looking to keep his 100% domestic cup record going with Chelsea as they enter the FA Cup on Saturday. The Blues are already Carabao Cup semi-finalists and will play Middlesbrough in the first of two legs next week, but it's another Championship opposition that sits in their way first.

Chelsea's recent record in the cup has been remarkable. Having lost in the first round last season against Manchester City, they ended a run of three straight final defeats — at the hands of Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal — meaning it has been boom or bust for the past four years.

Pochettino himself has a mixed return in the competition and often went in with weaker sides while at Tottenham.He has assured Chelsea fans he won't be doing the same here. «Not too many changes,» he said of his plans on Friday. «Playing with the circumstances of course, not going to change too much the team.

»You will see maybe one or two, players normally not in the starting XI but of course because we have some circumstance we need to prevent and we need to anticipate problems. We take like a Premier League game, it's not because it's the FA Cup and a Championship team."

There has been little wriggle room for the 51-year-old this term in general due to injuries and, once again, his hand is forced slightly. Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka were both ruled out despite training with the first team this week while Benoit Badiashile is not set to be back in time.

Romeo Lavia remains out having made his debut before the New Year — albeit briefly in a 30 minute cameo against Crystal Palace — and Christopher Nkunku won't be involved from the start either as he continues to be carefully managed. «Chilwell and Carney are not available for