Charlton vs Chelsea: FA Cup preview, team news, kick-off time & how to watch

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Absolute Chelsea

·9 janvier 2026

Charlton vs Chelsea: FA Cup preview, team news, kick-off time & how to watch

Chelsea face Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night at The Valley.

Liam Rosenior takes charge of Chelsea for the first time since his head coach appointment as the Blues get their 2025/26 FA Cup campaign underway.

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They make the short trip across the capital to face Championship side Charlton, who are relishing the opportunity of playing against the World Champions.

"It’s one of the best cup competitions in the world," Charlton boss Nathan Jones said ahead of Saturday's cup tie.

"It's a London derby and Chelsea is a wonderful football club with a great history and great pedigree of players and an appeal. It's a totally different test and one we're looking forward to. It's a fantastic opportunity for the club to showcase itself against a top, top side."

After a 2-1 defeat in midweek to Fulham in the Premier League, which Rosenior watched on from the stands, the new boss will be keen to begin his Chelsea tenure with a victory.

IMAGO / Sportimage

Rosenior was full of praise for his managerial counterpart, Jones, when previewing Charlton, telling reporters: "He's had an outstanding career as a manager. It's going to be a very difficult game. They play with real intensity. They're very, very difficult to play against

I've watched a lot of their recent games. It's going to be a typical English cup tie third round in January, and my players need to be able to stand up to that intensity. You know, that's the first thing in football. It's all about systems, tactics. You have to win the battle. You have to win duels. You have to win headers. You have to run, and that's the message I've given to the players over the last two days."

Chelsea will be without Marc Cucurella after he was sent off against Fulham. Rosenior is likely to rotate at The Valley, with the visitors having six matches to follow in January.

Here are all of the details ahead of the FA Cup tie between Charlton and Chelsea.