Derby County captain Richard Keogh says they'll learn plenty about themselves against Capital One Cup opponents Chelsea.

Derby sit third after losing to Middlesbrough on Saturday. A League Cup run is a positive, but promotion to the Premier League is the big prize.

Keogh said: "It is going to be a good benchmark to see how far we have come since we played them in January.

"As a squad I think we have really matured. It is going to be a great test but this is why you are in football, to test yourself against the best. We are striving to play against this calibre of team every week.

"From a year ago they have improved immensely. Mourinho's addressed the areas he thought were a problem, up front and then (Nemanja) Matic and (Cesc) Fabregas in midfield: so strong mentally and physically. We did a video on the weaknesses on their team and it lasted about five seconds.

"They are the best team in the Premier League and arguably the best team in Europe. We have to perform at our best to stay in the game and have a chance of achieving our dream result.

"I want to see how our players perform - have we moved on from a year ago? Because Chelsea have.

"Mourinho will respect us. That will reflect in the team he picks. We don't expect any favours."