EFL Cup PREVIEW 27 Aug 2026: Sessegnon against Sessegnon at Craven Cottage

Two second-round ties on Thursday, both in London, and the better subplot is at Craven Cottage. Fulham play AFC Wimbledon, and Steven Sessegnon moved to Plough Lane this summer while his twin brother Ryan is still at Fulham, so the pair may face each other for the first time in their careers. Both clubs have made rather a lot of it: Steven went back to Motspur Park this week to be filmed with his brother, talking about coming through the ranks at the club they are now on opposite sides of. Chelsea host Luton Town in the other.

Johnnie Jackson is not pretending his side will see much of the ball. "We believe we can frustrate Fulham and really make it difficult for them," he said. "You need a bit of luck in these games. And then when opportunities come our way, we have to be clinical." He watched Fulham lose 3-2 to Chelsea in person on Monday, partly to work out what Alvaro Arbeloa is asking for -- "they're really, really attacking with their full-backs, they've got a lot of rotations out wide and they want to try and pull you out of position" -- and partly, in his own words, to look for weaknesses. He was clear his players are not travelling to make up the numbers. AFC Wimbledon come in on the back of a goalless draw at home to Reading, and reached this round by beating Newport County on penalties after converting all five of theirs. Harry Cornick, signed on Tuesday, could make his debut, and Fulham's own preview notes he has scored against them before. Joachim Andersen is available again after a three-match ban, which leaves Tom Cairney as Fulham's only absentee. If the tie is level after ninety minutes it goes straight to a shootout.

At Stamford Bridge, Xabi Alonso has a squad thick with players who have barely started. Chelsea spent the summer on Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quenda, Valentin Barco, Emmanuel Emegha and Jordan Henderson among others, and beat Fulham 3-2 on Monday through Joao Pedro, Rogers and Cole Palmer, so a rotated side here would still be a strong one. Luton Town arrive under Jack Wilshere, who won the EFL Trophy in his first season in charge, and drew 2-2 at home with Notts County at the weekend after a 4-3 win at Reading in which Gideon Kodua scored in the 97th minute. They beat Gillingham 3-0 in the first round through Nahki Wells, Benedict Benagr and Kodua. Kasey Palmer, signed permanently in July, spent three years in Chelsea's academy and won the UEFA Youth League twice there without ever playing a senior competitive match for them; he was an unused substitute once, in April 2016.

Both winners already know where they are going. The third-round draw was made on Wednesday, before either tie kicked off, and it sends the winner of Chelsea and Luton Town to Leeds United, and the winner of Fulham and AFC Wimbledon to West Ham United at the London Stadium.