ShareChelsea host Luton in the second round of the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, as Xabi Alonso’s side enter the competition at this stage due to their lack of European football.By Matt SmithIt’s rare to see Chelsea involved in the Carabao Cup during the second round, but a disappointing 2025/2026 season means they are starting early. It’s a competition the Blues have won five times, with their last triumph coming back in 2015. It’s certainly not going to be an easy task for Jack Wilshere‘s Luton Town to advance into the next round, with Chelsea winning 27 of their last 28 EFL Cup ties against teams outside the Premier League. Recent H2H meetingsThese two sides last met back in December 2023 when Luton were in the Premier League. Chelsea secured a 3-2 victory that day, with current superstar Cole Palmer scoring a brace. Team newsSpeaking to the media ahead of Chelsea’s game against Luton, Alonso confirmed that both Marco Palestra and Moisés Caicedo would be unavailable for the Carabao Cup clash. Alonso confirmed that he had no fresh injury concerns from the game against Fulham on Monday, with Palestra and Caicedo both missing from that one too. Luton could be without Jordan Clark after he suffered a broken jaw against Notts County last time out. Shaydon Morris and Shandon Baptiste are also likely to be unavailable for the away side. Same old ChelseaChelsea undoubtedly looked more free-flowing in attack and played with confidence in the final third during Alonso’s first game against Fulham. Despite that, it was same old Chelsea in the sense that errors in their own third almost cost them. The Blues secured a 3-2 victory over Fulham, but it could have been a lot more comfortable.Robert Sánchez made one error that led to a goal and overall had a disappointing game. The Chelsea goalkeeper has struggled at times since he moved to Stamford Bridge. It’s no surprise that reports are emerging that they are assessing their options in terms of signing a new goalkeeper.Goals galore for LutonIt’s certainly been an exciting start to the season for Luton, who have scored six goals in their opening two games in League One. In all competitions, Luton have struck nine times, having also defeated Gillingham 3-0 in the first round of the Carabao Cup. This is the first time we’ve seen this Luton side after a full pre-season under Wilshere, who is clearly looking to turn them into a strong attacking outfit. It doesn’t get more difficult in the second round of the Carabao Cup than the trip to Chelsea, however, but Wilshere will undoubtedly be backing himself. Heavy rotationOne player who could benefit from heavy rotation for Chelsea could be Estêvão. Alonso will likely make plenty of alterations, considering they only played on Monday and will be in action again this weekend. Estêvão came off the bench against Fulham for a handful of minutes, so we’re likely to see him from the start. The 19-year-old is one of the most highly rated players in the Chelsea squad, and this will be his chance to impress. PredictionIt’s difficult to see past a Chelsea win here. We’re going for a 3-1 victory.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.Chelsea host Luton in the second round of the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, as Xabi Alonso’s side enter the competition at this stage due to their lack of European football.By Matt SmithIt’s rare to see Chelsea involved in the Carabao Cup during the second round, but a disappointing 2025/2026 season means they are starting early. It’s a competition the Blues have won five times, with their last triumph coming back in 2015. It’s certainly not going to be an easy task for Jack Wilshere‘s Luton Town to advance into the next round, with Chelsea winning 27 of their last 28 EFL Cup ties against teams outside the Premier League. Recent H2H meetingsThese two sides last met back in December 2023 when Luton were in the Premier League. Chelsea secured a 3-2 victory that day, with current superstar Cole Palmer scoring a brace. Team newsSpeaking to the media ahead of Chelsea’s game against Luton, Alonso confirmed that both Marco Palestra and Moisés Caicedo would be unavailable for the Carabao Cup clash. Alonso confirmed that he had no fresh injury concerns from the game against Fulham on Monday, with Palestra and Caicedo both missing from that one too. Luton could be without Jordan Clark after he suffered a broken jaw against Notts County last time out. Shaydon Morris and Shandon Baptiste are also likely to be unavailable for the away side. Same old ChelseaChelsea undoubtedly looked more free-flowing in attack and played with confidence in the final third during Alonso’s first game against Fulham. Despite that, it was same old Chelsea in the sense that errors in their own third almost cost them. The Blues secured a 3-2 victory over Fulham, but it could have been a lot more comfortable.Robert Sánchez made one error that led to a goal and overall had a disappointing game. The Chelsea goalkeeper has struggled at times since he moved to Stamford Bridge. It’s no surprise that reports are emerging that they are assessing their options in terms of signing a new goalkeeper.Goals galore for LutonIt’s certainly been an exciting start to the season for Luton, who have scored six goals in their opening two games in League One. In all competitions, Luton have struck nine times, having also defeated Gillingham 3-0 in the first round of the Carabao Cup. This is the first time we’ve seen this Luton side after a full pre-season under Wilshere, who is clearly looking to turn them into a strong attacking outfit. It doesn’t get more difficult in the second round of the Carabao Cup than the trip to Chelsea, however, but Wilshere will undoubtedly be backing himself. Heavy rotationOne player who could benefit from heavy rotation for Chelsea could be Estêvão. Alonso will likely make plenty of alterations, considering they only played on Monday and will be in action again this weekend. Estêvão came off the bench against Fulham for a handful of minutes, so we’re likely to see him from the start. The 19-year-old is one of the most highly rated players in the Chelsea squad, and this will be his chance to impress. PredictionIt’s difficult to see past a Chelsea win here. We’re going for a 3-1 victory.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.