On Saturday, around 6,000 members of the Green Army will be on FA Cup manoeuvres at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea meet Plymouth Argyle in this competition for the first time in 85 years, again in round four.

Forty-eight places separate Thomas Tuchel’s champions of Europe from the west Devon club, seventh in League One. The relentless nature of the third tier means the Pilgrims played twice in the last 10 days while most of the Blues enjoyed a winter break.

This is the Londoners’ 38th game of the season and number 35 for the Devonians (37 had two not been postponed). Argyle have already played four times in the FA Cup since November, racking up six goals, one more than the Blues managed against non-league Chesterfield. It will be their second experience of the VAR system.

While the Londoners were in recovery mode over the past fortnight, the Pilgrims ploughed on through the League One campaign with a draw at Fleetwood and Saturday’s comeback win away to bottom club Doncaster. Six of the visitors’ seven league defeats have come in the past 11 matches, but the hosts must take nothing for granted.

Chelsea have only failed to reach round five twice since Roman Abramovich’s takeover in 2003. Excluding finals, the Blues have lost just four of our past 29 FA Cup fixtures – three of them in finals. The winners will progress to round five, scheduled for the first midweek of March.

Chelsea team news

Thomas Tuchel welcomed the Spurs win as ‘a massive lift’ after a massive shift and immediately handed his squad and staff a week off. Chelsea had completed 18 matches since the November international break, playing every 2.8 days.

Chelsea’s well-being should be reinvigorated after the winter break, and competition will be strong, especially in forward areas. Even a few days’ rest prior to hosting Spurs restored the Blues’ pressing and relentlessness, with Thomas Tuchel’s fresh tactical approach with a 4-1-4-1 against Tottenham also paying dividends.

As well as serving apex predator Romelu Lukaku, the system brought the best out of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech. The pair played as orthodox wingers with the ball, combining brilliantly for the spectacular opener (the Moroccan’s first at the Bridge and second league goal in two games, equalling his total last season), and a foul drawn by Hudson-Odoi allowed a revitalised Mason Mount to deliver for Thiago Silva’s coup de grace.

Players such as Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Saul and Andreas Christensen will be refreshed and pressing for minutes against Plymouth. Kenedy, who returned from loan in his Brazil homeland and can play as a wing-back or further forward on the left, could see his first action in royal blue for three years. Unlikely to figure are Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic, who played World Cup qualifiers this week, while Reece James is still completing his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Edou Mendy’s Senegal will contest the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday evening, so it will be between Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcus Bettinelli for a place in goal.

Five substitutes can be used and that may help the cause of our promising youngsters. Lewis Hall started and Harvey Vale came on against non-league Chesterfield, while Xavier Simons and Charlie Webster were on the bench.

Same formula for Schumacher

Ryan Lowe left Plymouth to take over as manager at Preston North End two months ago and was replaced by his long-term assistant, Steve Schumacher.The continuity candidate has maintained the same 3-5-2 approach and the Pilgrims have the look of a consistent, cohesive and youthful outfit.

On the periphery of the play-off places, the west Devon club were statistically the sixth best defence in League One until conceding 10 times in four games this month. However, they do have the third tier’s sixth-most potent attack.

They are an energetic, short-passing side, playing out from the back with middle centre-back Dan Scarr the organiser of a three-man defence operating an offside trap. Schumacher has expressed his concern at a rise in errors all over the pitch but it is a spate of late goals that dented their promotion prospects.

Without Zimbabwe defender Brendan Galloway the Pilgrims have become susceptible to close-range finishes after failing to prevent or clear crosses, despite numbers in the box and goalkeeper Michael Cooper saving 69 per cent of on-target shots.

Schumacher uses a central midfield three who like to attack, including combative Cobham graduate Jordan Houghton (booked nine times this season) and Panutche Camara, who represented Guinea-Bissau at the Africa Cup of Nations. Adam Randell is among their inventive free-kick takers.

Their forwards tend not to press opposition defences and much of their approach play involves the widemen latching onto a ball played behind a full-back and cutting it back for the finish.

Attacking wing-backs Conor Grant and Joe Edwards also curl in crosses towards a shot-happy front two. With leading scorer Ryan Hardie out, Jordan Garrick has been starting alongside the more mobile Niall Ennis and Luke Jephcott, 22, a product of their Academy enjoying a run of three goals in three league outings. Right wing-back Steve Sessegnon just signed on loan from Fulham and is not cup-tied.

The Pilgrims reached this stage with an extra-time victory at Championship side Birmingham, who were reduced to 10 men around the hour mark. This is their ninth away match from the past 11 across all competitions, and third in succession.

How to watch Chelsea-Plymouth

This match will be covered live in the UK by the BBC through its iPlayer, Red Button, Sports app and website. It will be the 25th of Chelsea’s 27 most recent FA Cup ties to be selected for live broadcast, and the 10th in a row on the BBC.

To find out which broadcaster holds the rights where you are, look here

Chelsea TV’s global available matchday shows – including early team news, exclusive interviews and analysis – are on this website and the 5th Stand app.

FA Cup 2021/22 regulations

There will be no replays in this season’s competition. If a match is all-square after second-half stoppages, extra time will be played and, if necessary, penalty kicks will decide the outcome.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is in use for this and all other fixtures hosted at Premier League stadiums. Five substitutes, drawn from a bench of nine, are allowed in three batches excluding half-time. Concussion replacements are also permitted.

For those teams making it through, the round five draw will be conducted live on ITV before Sunday’s 12 noon kick-off between Liverpool and Cardiff.

We have history

It is very nearly 100 years since Plymouth’s first ever visit to Stamford Bridge for a round three FA Cup rematch on 24 February 1921. Like the original fixture at Home Park it ended 0-0, requiring a second replay at Ashton Gate.

Lacking prolific centre-forward Jack Cock and commanding Danish midfielder Nils Middelboe for the Bristol trip, Chelsea fell behind in the second half but were bailed out by Bob McNeil’s late equaliser. Moments later the left-winger set up fellow Scot Jimmy Croal for the winner, depriving the Devonians of extra time.

Four years later in round three of the 1925/26 competition in west Devon, David Calderhead’s side won by the odd goal in three. Bob Turnbull scored on the spin and three minutes later McNeil broke west country hearts again, drilling in a ball played behind. Cock, returned to his native county, replied for the hosts.

A decade later in January 1936 the round four game at the Bridge was effectively over before the break, prolific Belfast boy Joe Bambrick netting quickly and the Pensioners making it 3-0 before the 53,703 present sought their half-time Bovril. Harry Burgess added a fourth before Plymouth pulled one back through Jack Vidler. Chelsea’s England keeper Vic Woodley saved a late penalty.

EFL Trophy experience

In recent years Home Park was the setting for Chelsea Under-21s’ games in the EFL Trophy. In August 2017 Callum Hudson-Odoi bagged a brace in a 2-2 draw there, and in 2019 a Pilgrims team with current first-teamers George and Michael Cooper, and Adam Randell, lost 1-0 to Andy Myers’ youngsters.

The young Blues who won 5-0 there in 2018 featured Tino Anjorin, Juan Castillo, Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour and Tariq Lamptey.

Nine thousand miles of Pilgrimage

The distance from the mouth of the Tamar to the banks of the Thames is around 210 miles, making Plymouth one of our most remote rivals. The west Devon club have, on average, a 413 mile round trip to opposition stadiums across the top four divisions, whereas Chelsea’s mean away journey distance is 225.

The Pilgrims’ players and fans have further to travel over a season than any other English league club. As the crow flies, their 23 away league commitments alone take in 9,925 miles – the equivalent of travelling from Plymouth to Pakistan and back. Midlands club Leicester make the shortest commitment: 3,407 miles.

Janners backing Jack

The pre-match taking of the knee will have a special poignancy for the Pilgrims supporters campaigning for a statue to commemorate their first black player, Jack Leslie, who was reportedly denied an England cap in 1925 because of his skin colour.

Leslie featured against Chelsea in round three of this competition on 9 January 1926 at Home Park. The Pensioners prevailed 2-1 but only through ‘vigorous defending’ against the inside-left and fellow forwards after former Blues striker Jack Cock had pulled one back.The Jack Leslie Campaign has set up a crowdfunder page here

FA Cup fourth round fixtures featuring Premier League sides

FridayMan Utd v Middlesbrough 8pm (ITV1)

SaturdayChelsea v Plymouth 12.30pm (BBC Red Button)Kidderminster v West Ham 12.30pm (BBC One)Crystal Palace v Hartlepool 3pmSouthampton v Coventry 3pmEverton v Brentford 3pmMan City v Fulham 3pmWolves v Norwich 3pmTottenham v Brighton 8pm (ITV4)

SundayLiverpool v Cardiff 12pm (ITV1)Nottingham Forest v Leicester 4pm (BBC One)