Who are Barrow AFC? Players to watch as League Two side gears up for Chelsea clash

Barrow AFC, who are currently top of League Two with four wins in the past five games, will make the 300-mile trip to London as they play Premier League giants Chelsea in the Carabao Cup this evening (September 24). The Cumbria side sit 64 places below the Blues in the football league pyramid.

The Bluebirds defeated Championship side Derby in the previous round of the cup, and might fancy themselves another upset tonight. Manager Stephen Clemence says his side have been “fully at it” so far this season, and will travel to Chelsea buoyed by rightful optimism.

Speaking to The Mail earlier this season, Clemence said: “There have been lots of good performances this season - I can only think of one or two halves of football when we haven’t been fully at it. We have scored a few goals, we put four past Port Vale not so long ago.

“We are capable of scoring and I’m sure if we keep performing the way we are then those days will come again. I’ve got very good football players in my squad and they’re a pleasure to work with every day.”

There are a few key players in Barrow’s starting line-up who Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will do well to keep an eye on. Chief among them is winger Connor Mahoney, who joined the Bluebirds in the summer from Huddersfield, having spent the previous season on loan at League Two rivals Gillingham.

Meanwhile, Dean Campbell will offer Barrow an aggressive presence in midfield, with an added history of knocking Premier League sides out of domestic tournaments. In 2023 while playing for Stevenage, Campbell fired home a 90th minute winner that eliminated Aston Villa from the FA Cup.

Ahead of tonight’s clash, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said: “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. 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.”