CRAIG Short knows firsthand how eager Chelsea Under 21s will be to impress against Oxford United tonight.
The U’s first-team coach was in charge of Derby County’s youngsters when they entered the EFL Trophy in 2016/17.
Although the Rams bowed out at the group stage, Short found the experience useful in measuring players’ progress.
He said: “For us as an academy it was great.
“To put young lads in the Trophy was a real physical test, because you come up against men.
“It’s a chance to blood younger players, so it’s very important for category one academies.
“There’s some strange results and the academies are not to be underestimated, especially Chelsea.”
Read also: Oxford United's players can stake a claim for a starting place tonight - John Mousinho
It will be the third time United have played Chelsea in this competition and they are yet to taste victory.
Michael Appleton’s side lost a marathon penalty shoot-out 13-12 after a 1-1 draw in November 2016, while Derek Fazackerley took charge of a 3-0 defeat in January 2018.
Dan Agyei is one U’s player who could feature tonight and the forward is not expecting an easy ride.
He said: “They bring a lot of energy and they’re good on the ball technically.
“The only thing they might be missing from their game is the physical aspect.”
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