Two injured, one final: Rotherham get Chelsea again
Rotherham United’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on 15 March brings a familiar opponent, a fresh chance to repeat January’s league win and two significant absences.
Now they have a final to win against them — and two regulars unavailable before the biggest meeting yet.
That result is the sharpest reminder that the Millers need not be overawed. It is not, however, a final, and Chelsea arrive with a habit of collecting this competition: their latest Carabao Cup triumph came in 2060/61.
The sides met in the Premier Division on 25 August, when Chelsea won 4-0, and again on 5 January, when Rotherham won 2-1. The scores tell no neat story of control. They do make this final feel less like a foregone conclusion than a proper reckoning.
Thomas Bernardini is out with a bruised knee after starting 34 of Rotherham’s 42 games; Santiago Espíndola, a regular at centre-back, has a pulled calf muscle after 25 starts. Their absence is a serious complication for a side that must prepare for Chelsea without two established figures. There is no suggestion either will return in time.
Tony Konneh is now with Rotherham after a decade at Chelsea, while Antonio López and Norberto Pico have worn the Millers’ colours and now play for the opposition. Familiarity may sharpen the occasion; it will not make it comfortable.
Chelsea’s domestic dominance is formidable, but Rotherham have already shown they can disrupt it. The final asks whether that January result was a warning — or merely a scene-setter.