Grimsby Town manager Michael Jolley hopes his side can cause a huge Carabao Cup upset in Wednesday’s round three tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (7.45pm).
The Mariners face Frank Lampard’s side, who are the current Europa League reigning champions and are 11th in the Premier League, on Wednesday.
And Jolley ranks his side’s chances of beating the five-time Premier League champions at 1000/1.
But the Town boss, whose side are currently ninth in Sky Bet League Two, is hoping his men can cause a gigantic upset against the Blues.
Speaking on iFollow Mariners, he said: “It’s a new challenge. Chelsea are a whole new level so it’s going to be a massive challenge, but we are excited about it.
“It’s going to be a fantastic experience and, as a club and staff, we’re relishing the opportunity that we have.
“We understand that if we play Chelsea 1000 times they’d probably beat us 999 times, but we need to find the one in there that we can have some success with.
“We’ll do the best we can, we’ll prepare the team in the best possible way, and then it’ll be up to the players to deliver and enjoy the occasion.
“We have to believe that we can do something in the game that gives us some kind of a chance.
“We have nothing but the highest respect for Chelsea, their manager Frank Lampard, and their players – their whole football club is on a different level to ourselves.
“So we need to find any way we can to try and gain small advantages in the game to stay in the match and give ourselves an opportunity.
“It’s always something to fall back on – the fact that cup upsets do happen and anything is possible once the ball’s rolling because it’s 11 v 11 in a game of football.
“So you always look to that but I think the Premier League is a different animal these days and Chelsea have got incredible footballers right through their ranks, including some of their young players.
“We know the challenge, but it’s exciting to think that anything is possible if we get it right and Chelsea have an off-day – you never know!”
And Jolley said the Mariners can benefit from having striker James Hanson – who was part of the Bradford City team that beat Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup in 2015 – in their ranks.
He said: “It helps having him 100 per cent. It’s great a point to make that somebody who has played there, and won there before, can help all of the other players.
“He can talk to them and tell them about his experiences, and share that with them.
“Having him in our squad will be a huge help to us, and it will be great to have him there with us.”
Jolley also gave an update on the Mariners’ injury situation.
It will be a “last-minute” call whether Harry Davis is fit for the game, and Ludvig Öhman will miss the match due to his groin injury.
Jolley said: “Harry Davis is an uncertain situation. We need to give him as long as possible in the run-up to the game so we won’t really know until the very last minute if he’s going to be available.
“But, other than that, I think everybody else is in good shape.”
Watch Michael Jolley’s full pre-Chelsea press conference exclusively on iFollow Mariners.
