Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones has warned his players that their FA Cup third-round tie against Chelsea must not turn into an “autograph session.” The Addicks will host the Blues at The Valley on Saturday, 10 January 2026 (20:00 GMT), marking their first meeting with Chelsea since 2007.

The clash is Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior’s first game in charge, following his appointment earlier this week. Charlton, meanwhile, will look to progress beyond the third round for the first time since 2013-14, when they were eliminated by Sheffield United in the quarter-finals.

Charlton’s Mindset Ahead of Chelsea Clash

Jones, who previously coached at Brighton & Hove Albion while Rosenior was a player there, stressed the importance of treating the match as a serious competitive challenge rather than a fan event:

“What we have to make sure is that it doesn’t become just an autograph session. It becomes a proper game where we can test ourselves, test our structure, test what we do.”

Charlton enter the tie off the back of a four-game winless run, while Chelsea have won only two of their past 11 games in all competitions, setting up an intriguing contest between struggling and transitional sides.

Rosenior: A Confident and Thoughtful Leader

Chelsea’s new boss, Liam Rosenior, attended the 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, standing alongside co-owner Behdad Eghbali, with assistant coach Calum McFarlane taking temporary charge.

Jones praised Rosenior as a confident, eloquent, and thoughtful leader, but admitted that the impact of the managerial change on Chelsea’s performance is uncertain:

“I saw him last night, Liam, actually, we had a quick brief chat and I have no idea what impact he’s going to have mentally or physically on them. Tactically and technically, they’ll be similar because that’s one of the main reasons why I think he’s been brought in. There’s an alignment with what they’ve done, and it’s a good thing. But can they run any harder? Can we run any harder? Well, we’ll see.”

FA Cup History and Stakes

Chelsea are eight-time FA Cup winners, but have lost three finals since their last triumph in 2018. Their most recent appearance at Wembley was under Thomas Tuchel in 2021-22, when they were beaten by Liverpool on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Jones emphasized the prestige of FA Cup ties against top opposition:

“These are the games that you want to be involved in. I strove all my life to appear on a Premier League team sheet in one way or another, and that’s what we want. It’s the best league in the world. To come up against a wonderful team is what you want to do. You want to test yourself against good managers, against good structures, against good players.”

Key Players to Watch

Chelsea’s squad features rising talents like Liam Delap, who scored his first Premier League goal against Fulham this week after joining from Ipswich Town last summer, and Reece James, a key figure in both defence and attack.

For Charlton, Jones will look to his squad to maintain discipline, structure, and take advantage of set-pieces and counter-attacks against a superior team. Success would mark a significant achievement for the Addicks and further highlight the FA Cup as a platform for smaller clubs to test themselves against the Premier League elite.