Chelsea vs Cardiff City: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview.
Club football returns at Stamford Bridge as the Blues welcome the Bluebirds to west London in the Premier League
Chelsea resume Premier League action after the international break when they host Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
New boss Maurizio Sarri has steered the Blues to four consecutive league victories since taking the reins and he will be demanding his players to pick up where they left off.
Wins over Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Bournemouth put Chelsea alongside Liverpool and Watford as the only teams to boast a 100 per cent record at this point.
Recently promoted Cardiff, meanwhile, have not yet managed to put a win on the board and they come into the game with just two points from a potential 12.
How To Watch
In the United States (US) the game will be available to watch live on television via CNBC and it can be streamed live online using NBC Sports.
The game cannot be watched live on television or streamed online in the United Kingdom (UK) due to the ‘3pm blackout’ period. However, live updates will be available on Goal here.
Squads & Team News
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Kepa, Green, Caballero, Bulka |
| Defenders | Rudiger, Alonso, Moses, Luiz, Zappacosta, Cahill, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Ampadu, Emerson |
| Midfielders | Fabregas, Jorginho, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Kante, Drinkwater |
| Forwards | Willian, Hazard, Morata, Giroud, Pedro, Hudson-Odoi |
Concerns remain over the fitness of Cesc Fabregas, while Gary Cahill and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are considered doubts. Davide Zappacosta and Emerson are also doubts.
Potential Chelsea XI: Kepa; Alonso, Luiz, Rudiger, Azpilicueta; Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic; Pedro, Hazard, Morata.
| Position | Cardiff City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Etheridge, Smithies, Murphy |
| Defenders | Peltier, Bennett, Morrison, Ecuele Manga, Richards, Paterson, Connolly, Cunningham, Bamba |
| Midfielders | Arter, Ralls, Murphy, Reid, Gunnarsson, Damour, Camarasa, Harris |
| Forwards | Ward, Zohore, Mendez-Laing, Madine, Hoilett |
Aron Gunnarsson could return to the starting XI after recovering from injury, but Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is a long-term absentee. Josh Murphy is also unlikely to feature.
Potential Cardiff City XI: Etheridge; Bennet, Bamba, Morrison, Ecuele Manga; Ralls, Arter, Hoilett, Camarasa, Reid; Ward.
Despite their impressive start to the season, which included the notable individual performances of players such as Jorginho and Eden Hazard, Sarri has been keen to dampen expectations at Stamford Bridge.
“At the moment, I can only see [Man] City or Liverpool [winning the league], at the moment,” Sarri told a media conference.
“We need another step to be at the same level. I think [it is too soon], but I hope not!”
However, while the former Napoli boss has been playing down his side’s chances of challenging for glory, Chelsea will certainly be at the top end of the table come the end of the season if they maintain the standard.
Sarri will have one eye on the Europa League clash with PAOK next week and after that the fixtures become steadily more intense, with four games in the space of 10 days, including two encounters with Liverpool.
