Chelsea face a break from Premier League action today as they take on Preston North End in the FA Cup and the clash represents a chance for Mauricio Pochettino to rotate his squad slightly.

The Argentine will be without Benoit Badiashilie for the clash against the Championship outfit, while Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu and Roméo Lavia will be unavailable to feature today.

The match could give the former Paris Saint-Germain manager a licence to unleash some young talent, especially with 20-year-old Alfie Gilchrist coming off the bench in their previous two league matches.

Chelsea: Alfie Gilchrist can be Silva's successor

Alfie Gilchrist is the future for Stamford Bridge

ByAlex Connor Alfie Gilchrist could start vs Preston

The centre-back has made 83 appearances for a host of youth teams at the Stamford Bridge outfit, but it looks as though his vast potential has impressed Pochettino.

Although he was only given a minute against both Luton Town and Crystal Palace, just managing to break into the senior side, given how much quality Chelsea have in defence, is a wonderful feat.

Against Luton in the 3-2, the youngster prevented them from scoring a last-minute equaliser with what was described as a “huge tackle” by journalist Nizaar Kinsella and this passion could stand him in good stead for the future.

Making his first start for the Blues against Preston would signify major progress, but he shouldn’t be the only young talent who should make his first start, as there is a teenager making waves in the academy.

Leo Castledine’s youth statistics

Pochettino can call on the likes of Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku to slot into the number ten role, but 18-year-old Leo Castledine should be given the opportunity to make his debut for the club against the second-tier club this evening – having been included the in the squad by Pochettino.

Like Gilchrist, Castledine has made over 80 appearances for the youth sides in the academy and has made a solid impact, finding the back of the net 30 times along with chipping in with 13 assists, clearly demonstrating his effectiveness in front of goal.

Dubbed a "huge talent" by journalist Felix Johnston, this season has been particularly impressive for the teen, registering ten goal contributions in just 12 games, as he also started all three matches in the Football League Trophy against senior opposition.

This step up didn’t faze the youngster as he managed 2.7 shots per game along with averaging 1.3 key passes per game and winning 60% of his aerial duels, showcasing not only a positive influence but demonstrating his physicality too, which could come in handy when he eventually makes his Premier League debut.

This experience against senior opposition will surely give him confidence that he could shine against Preston should he make his debut today.

Henrique Hilario

Belletti

Alex

John Terry

Paulo Ferreira

Yuri Zhirkov

Frank Lampard

Deco

Michael Ballack

Nicolas Anelka

Daniel Sturridge

It is clear that the one-time Southampton coach is building a team which he will hope can dominate English football over the next few years, evidenced by the club signing a plethora of young talent.

The good news is, he is not forgetting about the potential coming from the academy and with Gilchrist making a couple of appearances recently, it could be time for Castledine to make his debut and show exactly what he is made of.