Leeds United vs. Chelsea: 5 Key Battles to Watch in Capital One Cup Quarterfinal

Chelsea will be somewhat jetlagged when they arrive in Leeds for their Capital One Cup quarterfinal clash on Wednesday from the FIFA World Club Cup in Japan, but that will be no excuse when the whistle blows.

Leeds will be tenacious and fired up for this clash, and the Blues might struggle to clear their heads in the opening stages.

It will make for a gripping contest, especially when you consider Arsenal's defeat to lowly Bradford a week ago.

Here are five battles that we can look forward to.

Victor Moses appears to be a favourite of Rafael Benitez, so it is not inconceivable that the Nigerian could be rested here.

However, Moses did not complete the 90 minutes against Corinthians in Japan and will be keen to play as much as possible as he continues his transition from the Latics to one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Moses' eagerness to run at his opponent and knock the ball past the full-back before latching onto it could be a real problem for Lee Peltier.

One of Leeds' better performers under Neil Warnock, he will have his hands full if Moses is fed the ball more than he was during the Club World Cup final, as Paulinho and Ralf eventually stopped the supply from the middle to the flanks.

Oscar was left frustrated by his exclusion from the starting lineup at the Club World Cup final and was reported to have responded to questions as to why Rafael Benitez left him out by calling him "crazy."

Oscar could then be handed a start against Leeds in a bid to prove himself. That will be a real shock for the Brazilian, who might not have experienced the sort of tactics that a Warnock side might implement to stop his majestic skills.

Michael Tonge has a lot more quality than many say, but he will be prepared to put his foot in and cramp the space in and around Oscar to make life very uncomfortable for him.

If the referee is on top of any foul play that Leeds players gives out, Oscar could relish the touch tight marking as he will be able to roll his man with his silky touch.

Sam Byram is a terrific young prospect for Leeds and has made the right-back position his own this season, although he can also be played as a right midfielder.

The 19-year-old might be facing up against Marko Marin, who has yet to start a game for Chelsea, but Benitez might be prepared to give the German a run out in the cup this week.

A gifted player who enjoys dribbling the ball and linking inside with the striker, Marin, who is almost fully fit now, might be the toughest test that Byram has faced in his short career.

Ross McCormack is almost over his ankle injury that he suffered at the beginning of the season against former club Cardiff.

This will be a huge boost for Leeds, as the Scottish striker's close control and low centre of gravity will be a real handful for somebody like David Luiz, who might be tempted to jump in to win the ball and find out how sharp McCormack is at whipping the ball away in a second.

Of course Benitez could rotate the squad and save Luiz for the weekend, but there are not many possibilities to provide the Brazilian a rest.

John Terry will likely still be injured and Gary Cahill is going to be suspended after his red card in the Club World Cup final, so it should be Branislav Ivanovic and Luiz at the back.

Jerome Thomas was not getting enough action at West Brom after his injury, so he has joined Leeds United on loan and is looking to prove why he is a Premier League-class player.

Jerome should be up against Cesar Azpilicueta or perhaps even Paulo Ferreira, which will give him an opportunity to shine.

Both right-backs are hardly lockdown defenders and will give Thomas the opportunity to run at them and knock the ball past them.

Thomas is quick and should be a real threat for Leeds in this game—maybe their most dangerous.