Silva And Rudiger Return, Azpilicueta And Lukaku Rested: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Malmo

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3 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Chelsea, Malmo, Romelu Lukaku, Thiago Silva

Chelsea scraped a 1-0 win against Brentford on Saturday but manager Thomas Tuchel would have been pleased about the resilience of his team, especially in the absence of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.

Both are, however, expected to be available for the game against Malmo in the Champions League tomorrow night.

The Swedish side should be there for the taking, having lost comprehensively in their first two group matches against Juventus and Zenit St Petersburg, so Tuchel may ring the changes.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the European clash at Stamford Bridge.

GK – Edouard Mendy

The 29-year-old’s match-winning performance versus Brentford was widely covered in the English media this week and he is belatedly getting the recognition he richly deserves.

With a spectacular save percentage of 96% in the Premier League so far this season, Mendy is looking almost unbeatable in between the posts at the moment.

RWB – Reece James

The 21-year-old came on as a substitute at the weekend so you would assume that he will start against Malmo in order to build up his fitness following an ankle injury.

Chelsea have missed James’ attacking intent in the right wingback position and his return to the starting eleven will be a big boost.

CB – Trevoh Chalobah

With the 22-year-old impressing at the Brentford Community Stadium, there is a case for keeping him in for the match tomorrow night.

Cesar Azpilicueta has played a lot of football recently, and it may be a chance to give the captain a breather before Saturday lunchtime’s game against Norwich.

CB – Thiago Silva

After missing the trip to Brentford due to international commitments, the 37-year-old should be fit and raring to go for the Malmo fixture.

With Silva not getting any younger, and Andreas Christensen a more than ready replacement, the pair will be rotated throughout the course of the campaign.

CB – Antonio Rudiger

The German international is back in training, and while Malang Sarr didn’t do too much wrong on Saturday, Tuchel rarely leaves out Rudiger when he is fit.

While there is a possibility that the 28-year-old will be saved for the Norwich game, getting another three points on the board in the Champions League group is also very important.

LWB – Marcos Alonso

Ben Chilwell has been in red-hot form recently but Tuchel may see the match tomorrow night as the perfect opportunity to rotate.

Alonso has had a pretty good start to the season, and most supporters wouldn’t bat an eyelid if the Spaniard were to start against Malmo.

CM – Jorginho

The Italian international did not feature at the weekend which suggests he will be recalled for the Champions League clash tomorrow.

Jorginho has not been at his best in recent weeks but this should be an ideal game to get back into the groove, as the Blues are likely to have a lot of possession.

CM – Mateo Kovacic

There is a case for either Ruben Loftus-Cheek or even Saul Niguez to start the Malmo match but the fact that Kovavic was substituted against Brentford would indicate he is in line to play tomorrow.

At the weekend, Chelsea lost their way a bit when Kovavic was replaced and the Croatian is capable of getting on the ball and driving into the opposition half in order to take the pressure off his team.

RW – Mason Mount

The 22-year-old was left out for Brentford so it is logical to assume that he will be recalled to face Malmo, with a place in the front three up for grabs.

Christian Pulisic is still out injured, while Hakim Ziyech has just returned from illness, so Mount has a strong case to be included in the lineup.

CF – Timo Werner

Tuchel revealed after the Brentford win that Romelu Lukaku was substituted due to fatigue and, after pulling out of international duty last week with a muscular problem, it may be wise to rest him for the Malmo game.

Werner has looked sharp, if not entirely convincing in front of goal, recently so the German forward could be given the chance to lead the line again.

LW – Kai Havertz

Callum Hudson-Odoi would be the other option that Tuchel could consider for the left-wing but Havertz is the more likely out of the two to feature tomorrow.

The 22-year-old’s form has been rather disappointing this season and this fixture could be ideal to help him rediscover his touch in the final third of the pitch.