Avram Grant will be searching for his first win as Chelsea boss when his side begin their defence of the Carling Cup.
Carling Cup holders begin defence at Hull
Avram Grant will be searching for his first win as Chelsea manager when his side begin their defence of the Carling Cup against Hull, live on
Sky Sports 2.
The Blues made a disappointing start to life without Jose Mourinho as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
They have scored just one goal in their last four games and will be looking to boost confidence with a smooth progression to the next round.
Mourinho rested key players on occasion in the Carling Cup last season but did not rotate his squad as much as some of his rival managers, and fielded a full-strength team as Chelsea came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 at The Millennium Stadium in February.
Injury worries
Grant is also likely to select a strong side to take on Hull, although he will be without the injured Frank Lampard (thigh) and Didier Drogba (knee).
Ricardo Carvalho (back) is not yet ready to return, while Michael Ballack and Wayne Bridge are both still sidelined with ankle injuries.
John Obi Mikel is also suspended after the Football Association rejected his appeal against the red card he received against Manchester United.
John Terry and Petr Cech could be rested, but senior players such as Ashley Cole and Michael Essien are expected to feature, while Andrei Shevchenko is likely to partner Claudio Pizarro up front.
Pedersen set for first start
Hull are languishing in the bottom half of the Championship after an inconsistent start to the season, and come into the game on the back of a 1-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday.
The Tigers booked a meeting with Chelsea by surprising Wigan in the last round and will now be hoping to take the scalp of a second Premier League club.
Henrik Pedersen could make his first start for Hull at the expense of Michael Bridges.
But Dean Windass (calf) may not be risked and Caleb Folan is cup-tied after recently signing from Wigan.
