How Chelsea Could Line Up Against Manchester United: We Assess Lampard’s Options

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4 years ago

Tags: Chelsea, Frank Lampard, Manchester United

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard would have been happy to keep a clean sheet against Sevilla midweek, but the lack of penetration in the final third of the pitch would have disappointed him.

The Blues face a Manchester United team who are coming off the back of a confidence-boosting win against Paris Saint-Germain so it will likely be a tight contest at Old Trafford tomorrow night.

Lampard has an almost fully fit squad to choose from so he does have a wealth of options heading into this crucial game.

Press the next page as we go through our predicted eleven for Chelsea’s clash against United.

GK – Edouard Mendy

Lampard has come out and said that the 28-year-old is now his number one goalkeeper and after a solid display against Sevilla midweek, he will almost certainly be in goal tomorrow.

Mendy has made some decent saves so far but we need to see how he performs over a longer period to see if he is truly the real deal.

RB – Reece James

Performed superbly against Sevilla on Tuesday night, and it would be hard to leave him out considering the form the fullback has been in recently.

Lampard has been rotating James with captain Cesar Azpilicueta so you can’t rule out the Spaniard from starting, but the 20-year-old is the favourite to play at Old Trafford.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian did appear to pick up a slight knock during the week but it shouldn’t be enough to keep him out of the United game.

Silva provides a much-needed reassuring presence at the back, and his experience will be vital if the Blues are to keep a clean sheet tomorrow.

CB – Andreas Christensen

After another far from convincing performance from Kurt Zouma during the week, Lampard may well be tempted to replace the Frenchman despite his side keeping a clean sheet.

Christensen did not make any errors when he started against Southampton, despite conceding three goals, so there is a possibility that the Dane will start this weekend.

LB – Ben Chilwell

The early signs suggest that the £50m that Chelsea spent on the England international could well have been worth it. Injuries aside, the 23-year-old already looks a massive improvement on Lampard’s other options at left-back.

Chilwell’s ability to get forward, as well as being a competent defender, means he has all the attributes to be first choice for years to come.

CM – N’Golo Kante

The 29-year-old has not been at his best so far this season, but his instincts to snuff out danger will be absolutely vital against United where he will come against the dangerous Bruno Fernandes.

Kante remains a key first-team player but it would be good to see him put in a big performance in a big game tomorrow evening.

CM – Mateo Kovacic

The Croatian looked good when he came off the bench against Sevilla and with Jorginho not pulling up any trees, many would like to see Kovacic come back into the side.

His lack of match action this season has mystified some fans and hopefully, Lampard sees the merits of starting him against United this weekend.

AM – Kai Havertz

After putting in a good display against Southampton, he was relatively subdued versus Sevilla but at 21 years of age, you do expect some inconsistency.

There is no doubting Havertz’s potential and supporters will be hoping that the German is back to his best when he lines up at Old Trafford tomorrow.

RW – Hakim Ziyech

Following two substitute appearances, it is surely time for the Moroccan’s first start of the season. After drawing a blank midweek, the Blues could do with the 27-year-old’s creativity.

If he does start, it will be interesting to see who makes way. Mason Mount has looked jaded in recent weeks so he would be the favourite to be benched in favour of Ziyech.

CF – Timo Werner

The German has now firmly established himself as the first choice forward ahead of the likes of Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud.

Werner was pretty quiet against Sevilla but he should find more space behind a shaky United defence, who have conceded 12 in four league games this campaign.

LW – Christian Pulisic

Lampard has started the American out of position on the right flank in the past two games. He looked more effective when moved to the left in the second half versus Sevilla so let’s see whether he is selected there against United.

There is now fierce competition for places on the wings, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount also available, so Pulisic will want to put in a good performance to cement his place in the team.