Mansion Sports – Cardiff City become a non-Premier League team granted a golden opportunity to face English giants Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the 2025/2026 Carabao Cup.

This match is scheduled to take place at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 16 December 2025 at 20.00 local time.

Chelsea travel to the Welsh capital having ended a run of four matches without a victory, while the hosts, carrying underdog status, are chasing a fourth consecutive win, which would undoubtedly become a historic moment.

Below are recommendations from Mansion Sports on where to watch Cardiff City vs Chelsea December 2025 so that you do not miss any of the action.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Cardiff City

Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy is currently in a dream-like situation with the Bluebirds, who are aiming to reach the League Cup semi-finals for the first time in the last 13 years.

Since the 2011/2012 season, when Cardiff lost on penalties to Liverpool in the final, the League One side have not progressed to the semi-finals of this competition.

However, they have eliminated Premier League opposition to become the lowest-ranked team to reach the quarter-finals this season.

After knocking out Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town in August, the Bluebirds defeated Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor and also overcame Wrexham by the same scoreline in the fourth round, reaching the quarter-finals for the third time in their history.

Having also advanced to the semi-finals in the 1965/1966 edition, Cardiff possess a 100 percent winning record in previous League Cup quarter-final appearances, and the Welsh side are currently riding a wave of victories ahead of Tuesday night’s David versus Goliath clash.

Thanks to a dramatic 4-3 victory over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, Barry-Murphy’s team have won their last three matches in the third tier, as well as six of their last seven games across all competitions, opening up a four-point lead at the top of the League One standings.

Cardiff’s last victory over Chelsea also came in the League Cup, but that occurred in 1986. Since then, Chelsea have won each of the last five meetings between the two sides, including a 2-1 Premier League victory in 2019.

Cardiff will be without Chelsea loanee Omari Kellyman. The Bluebirds requested that the playmaker be allowed to feature in this match, but the request was rejected by the Club World Cup champions.

Kellyman’s absence is a double blow for Cardiff, as fellow attacking midfielder Rubin Colwill is also sidelined for several months with an ankle injury, meaning his brother, Joel Colwill, is expected to return to the forward line.

Gabriel Osho, who is suffering from a toe injury, and Ollie Tanner, who has an ankle issue, will also miss the match against Chelsea, although Tanner has now returned to full training after four months and is projected to be ready at the start of the new year.

Chelsea

Few were surprised to see Chelsea reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals, although some observers may have questioned the manner in which the Blues secured their two victories in the 2025/2026 competition so far, both achieved by a one-goal margin against Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

An unconvincing 2-1 victory over Lincoln City in the third round was followed by a chaotic 4-3 win over the Premier League’s bottom side in the fourth round, where Enzo Maresca’s team nearly suffered a collapse after holding a three-goal lead.

An unattractive victory remains preferable to a hard-fought defeat, particularly in knockout football, and Chelsea are now seeking to reach the EFL Cup semi-finals for the fifth time in the last nine seasons.

Historical trends also favour the West London giants, who have won each of their last five EFL Cup quarter-final matches since being eliminated at this stage by Sunderland in the 2013/2014 season. Maresca’s side finally returned to winning ways last Saturday.

The return of Cole Palmer helped Chelsea secure a 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton, although the result was somewhat overshadowed by Maresca’s post-match press conference, in which he stated that he had endured the “worst 48 hours” of his Chelsea career and criticised a lack of support from unnamed parties.

Despite a semi-final place being at stake, Maresca is expected to rotate his squad in Cardiff, and he must also make a change in defence as Marc Cucurella is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Jorrel Hato is predicted to replace the Spanish defender, while Filip Jorgensen, Josh Acheampong, Andrey Santos, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, and Moises Caicedo, who has returned after serving a three-match suspension, are all candidates to start.

Liam Delap, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia with thigh injuries, Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is involved in a doping case, and Levi Colwill, who has a knee injury, remain unavailable.

Marc Guiu cannot be selected due to cup-tied regulations, and Cole Palmer will be rested. Guiu is one of two key players ineligible to feature in this quarter-final.

Where to Watch Cardiff City vs Chelsea December 2025

For viewers who want to watch this match and are looking for where to watch Cardiff City vs Chelsea December 2025, depending on your country of residence, this fixture can be watched through platforms such as:

• Sky Sports
• Paramount+
• beIN Sports
• Super Sports
• ESPN
• Disney+

With all the storylines, tension, and significant stakes surrounding this match, the clash between Cardiff City and Chelsea is clearly not to be missed.

Make sure you already know the schedule and where to watch Cardiff City vs Chelsea December 2025 so that you can enjoy every moment of this high-profile encounter until the final whistle is blown.