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Stamford Bridge Return a Step Too Far for Lampard and Derby

Derby County travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup, and for one person in particular this is going to be a huge occasion. Frank Lampard is a Chelsea legend, there is no other way to describe him. In what is his first management role, he returns to the place where he has many happy memories with his new team, looking to cause what would be their second huge upset of the competition. We have already seen Lampard go and turn over his former mentor and coach in Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, can he do the same against his former club on Wednesday?

Chelsea have started the season well and based on the teams we have seen Maurizio Sarri play in the various cup competitions so far, he is a manager that is going to take winning trophies very seriously. It would be no surprise to see Chelsea go close in this competition, as well as in the Europa League, another competition that Sarri appears to be targeting.

The Blues have started very well in the league too, and they are still unbeated with seven wins and three draws from their first ten games. This is far better than some were expecting and a sign of things to come in the future if things go well for Sarri.

Derby too have started the Championship season well, they are in 6th position right now, just inside the playoffs. The league is exceptionally tight, and they have to keep up their current unbeaten run to maintain their position, which now stretches to five games. They are just four points off top spot and three points ahead of 12th placed Blackburn, showing just how tight things are in the second tier right now.

Huge Occasion for Returning Frank Lampard

There is no doubt that this game will go down as one of the biggest nights of Frank Lampard’s career as a manager, regardless of what he goes on to achieve as a boss. He carved out a fantastic career with The Blues, and is in the history books as one of their finest ever players. He returns as a manager and that is something completely different to returning as a player. Lampard hasn’t moved on to be with a rival, he has moved onto a new chapter in his career, and that will allow Chelsea fans the chance to show him their appreciation, without thinking about the score line in the game.

So far, it has been a fantastic start to life as a manager for Lampard and it will be interesting to follow his career and see how far he can go. He already has one huge scalp under his belt, winning away at Manchester United in the previous round of this competition. He knows how special the Premier League is, and eventually whether it is with Derby or not, he will want to be a manager in that league.

When beating Manchester United he also defeated his former boss Jose Mourinho, which will no doubt stick with Lampard for the rest of his life. He is already showing that he can handle the pressure, althought he will face even more of that on Wednesday when he returns to his former club.

We haven’t seen much from him so far, but what we have seen has been nothing short of impressive. He appears to be using his skills to get players on his side, and those at Derby genuinely want to play for him and do the best they can for him. When you have the ability to do that, going far in the game should be something that Lampard can do.

Sarri Already Ahead of Schedule at Chelsea

When Maurizio Sarri joined Chelsea during the summer he was put into a very difficult situation. He was moving into his first spell in the English game, surrounded by new players, new staff and in a new league. He didn’t really have time to work with his full squad and teach them his system because of the World Cup, but despite that he is already ahead of schedule based on what we have seen from him so far.

With the circumstances surrounding the first few weeks at the club for Sarri, no one would have blamed Chelsea for getting off to a slow start. He has brought his own style of play and system into the club, and had little chance to work with the players and show them it. Despite that they are showing up well in cup competitions, and right now sit third in the Premier League table, yet to taste defeat.

This isn’t a fluke either, Sarri has got Chelsea firing at both ends of the field. With just seven goals conceded in their first ten games, Chelsea have the third best defensive record in the division, and their 24 goals scored at the other end makes them the joint second highest scorers in the league. I don’t think Chelsea fans could ask for much more right now, and they must be getting excited about the future based on what Sarri has been able to do in his first ten league games at the club.

Chelsea vs Derby Betting Tips

This is going to be a special night for Frank Lampard, but I think it may be a scoreline that doesn’t go his way. When Derby won at Manchester United they played very well, but came up against a team devoid of confidence and making lots of changes to try and find something that worked. This won’t be the case against Chelsea, this is a team playing well and a team full of confidence right now.

Maurizio Sarri appears to be targeting the cup competitions and would love to win some silverware in his first season in England. A win here and Chelsea are in the last eight of the competition, and within touching distance of a Wembley final.

I am backing Chelsea to have the quality to get past Derby here, and to gain some additional value I will be backing them on the -1 handicap line. Derby like to attack and they are sure to come here and play without fear, attacking Chelsea like they would anyone else. I think that will leave gaps for the Chelsea attacking line to exploit, and that is something they are more than capable of doing.

This should be a fantastic night for Frank Lampard, but ultimately one that will end in defeat for him, with Chelsea being the team to make it through to the quarter final stage of the Carabao Cup.