Michael Beardmore
BBC Sport at Poundland Bescot Stadium

Image source, Rex Features

Fair to say, the Walsall press box is not usually used to being as populated as it is tonight.

Representatives of pretty much every national newspaper and news organisation present.

Perhaps with the sniff of a shock in the air? A Premier League balloon being burst?

Anyway, see you back here for the visit of Fleetwood in League Two a week tonight, yeah folks?

Leicester have made a bright start, but the best they've done so far is see Abdul Fatawu have a dangerous-looking shot blocked by the home defence.

Steve

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Each throw in won at Stamford Bridge is getting loud cheers from the away support.

The Barrow fans are doing their best to push their team on to complete what would be a near-impossible upset.

It helps that Rory Feely's long throw ins have caused significant threat on Filip Jorgensen's goal.

If they get gunned down, Barrow will still have had a great time down here in west London after being given an opportunity that might not come about again for some time.

However, the League Two side have brought their best XI to try to complete an upset at Stamford Bridge to give themselves some kind of chance and have started well.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at the Etihad Stadium

Former world boxing champion and lifelong Manchester City fan Ricky Hatton has just taken his seat in front of me.

I wonder what he made of Daniel Dubois' victory over Anthony Joshua at the weekend.

Different weight category obviously but Hatton was some fighter in his prime.

We're under way in Manchester, London and Walsall.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at the Etihad Stadium

Pep Guardiola has just been asked about Rodri's fitness by Sky Sports.

This is his answer: "We are still waiting for the decision of the doctors, exactly what he has.

"When we know it, the club or myself, the spokesman of the club will announce it."

Image source, Getty Images

Alan

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City are in the unenviable position of having another game less than 50 hours after their last one finished.

With Manchester United at home in the Europa League tomorrow night and City having a Premier League trip to Newcastle on Saturday lunchtime, Pep Guardiola was given three options.

At home tonight, two days after the Arsenal game, at home on Thursday, two days before the Newcastle trip, or switch venues and play at Watford tomorrow.

He chose the first option.

"Obviously, this game comes just two days after we played Arsenal," he says in his programme notes.

"It has given us very little time to recover and prepare but it is what it is.

"Our desire to win is as strong as ever and I know the guys really want to win this game tonight and go through to the next round."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield, who reached the 2007 League Cup semi-finals with Wycombe, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I have been lucky enough to play in some big nights here at Adams Park and it is magical when that happens.

"We have to believe that can happen tonight.

"We have to be at our ultimate best and Aston Villa have to be a little bit below their best but if we can get the crowd involved and make them believe there could be an upset on the cards, something could happen.'

Image source, Getty Images

Curtis Davies
Former Premier League defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

It's very important when you can't get results in the league to get them in the cups. Winning breeds confidence but ultimately this is a game that Leicester should win.

They have only managed to draw and not won a game yet. After the Arsenal game away they will have a run where we will see what Leicester are about.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ahead of kick-off, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had a lengthy chat with visiting Barrow coach Stephen Clemence.

These kinds of interactions make these occasions even more special as the League Two club attempt one of the great upsets in English football history.

The away fans are already singing loudly in the away end but might want to save some of their voice for the match and that long drive home which is 305 miles away up to Cumbria.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Barrow sporting director Iain Wood, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live: "If you could bottle it up and sell it, that's the feeling that is around the football club at the moment and that's built up from the players.

"It's having the belief that you are where you are. Just because we are Barrow it doesn't mean we can't be top of the league and we try to push that into the players and staff and it seems to be working."

Earlier this week, Leicester manager Steve Cooper said he would pick an "experienced and strong" team to face League Two side Walsall in the Carabao Cup third round.

"It's a game we want to win, it's a game where the team we put out will be an experienced and strong one," said Cooper, whose side are yet to win in the Premier League this season.

"Whether we decide to make changes or go with players who play in the league, it will be an experienced team and a game we want to win."

Among those involved is Ricardo Pereira, who was a mainstay in the team that won the Championship title last season but has made only one appearance for the Foxes this season - in the second-round victory over Tranmere.

Cooper said: "Ricky is an excellent pro, a very important player in the dressing room and the culture, he leads by example.

"He'll want to play games and he knows he's in a competition like every other player is and sometimes you have the shirt and other times you haven't."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Pep Guardiola has never made any secret of his belief Rodri is irreplaceable as a single midfield anchor in his Manchester City side.

Kalvin Phillips is the nearest thing to a sitting midfielder in the City squad but Guardiola has long since decided the former Leeds man is not good enough and he is currently on loan at Ipswich and unable to be recalled until January.

That means Guardiola is likely to tinker with his formation and play with two holding midfielders.

Former Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic can fill that role but he is not the only option.

Centre-back John Stones has rarely played as a lone defensive midfielder during his time at Etihad, but has been inverted into the deep-lying role at times from central defence and right-back.

Ilkay Gundogan was used in that position on numerous occasions before he left for Barcelona in 2023. Bernardo Silva has also played there, as has the currently sidelined Kevin de Bruyne at times.

And then there is 19-year-old Rico Lewis, who someone Guardiola said only last week could fill a number of positions, such is his flexibility.

Losing Rodri for any length of time would be a hammerblow for City, but if anyone can come up with a plan to deal with it, Guardiola can.

The January transfer window is only a few months away as well.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio 5 Live

Barrow sporting director Iain Wood, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live: "From our point of view, we did our analyst stuff yesterday and the names on the board we just looked at and went 'what are we going to do here?' kind of thing.

"Whoever they put out is going to be an unbelievable team. The lads are looking forward to it and we are just going to give it a good shot and see where it takes us."

Bill

Chelsea

Chelsea reached the final of the Carabao Cup last season before being denied the first silverware since Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium bought the club by an extra-time loss to Liverpool at Wembley.

While boss Enzo Maresca admits the Premier League is his main priority, he will initially treat the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Conference League and Club World Cup with equal importance.

“Probably because of the last two years, we cannot allow ourselves to make, ‘OK, the first target is this’,” said Maresca. “We need to go game by game and to see where we arrive close and fight for that. I don’t see in this moment any competition better than any other one.

“For sure, the main one is the Premier League, always. It’s the competition where you try to do your best always but in terms of, ‘this is the most important; this is not important’, it’s not for us. We need to take every game in the same way and then we’ll see at the end if we are close and then go for it.”

In-form Barrow, who overcame Championship club Derby on penalties in the previous round and have won five of their seven league fixtures this term, sit top of League Two and Maresca is wary of suffering embarrassment.

“It’s dangerous because football is full of these kind of games that you think it’s an easy game and then it’s a tricky game,” said the Italian. “Probably in this moment this is the worst game for us. We need to take it seriously and we cannot allow ourselves to drop a little bit.”