Chelsea's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Brentford gives manager Antonio Conte another opportunity to assess the capabilities of players on the periphery of his preferred Premier League starting XI.

Given that Conte has yet to bolster his squad in the soon-to-close January transfer window, should any regular first-team player be sidelined long term through injury, it's vital the coach can be as precise as possible if he needs to replace any cogs in the well-oiled 3-4-3 gears that power the Chelsea machine.

With the Blues facing a testing Premier League game at Liverpool just three days after the Brentford match and title challengers Arsenal coming to Stamford Bridge next weekend, Conte can't afford to take any risks against the Championship side, and it would come as no surprise if the Blues boss fielded a completely different starting XI to that which kicked off the last match against Hull City.

Of the side that faced Hull, only Gary Cahill and Pedro started for Chelsea in the previous round of the FA Cup against League One side Peterborough United. Pedro capped a man-of-the-match display with two goals in a comfortable 4-1 victory, while Cahill showed why Conte has entrusted him with the captain's armband in league matches.