Silva, Kovacic, Alonso And Pulisic To Start, Jorginho And Lukaku On The Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Lille

David Tully

2 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Chelsea, Mateo Kovacic, Thiago Silva

After struggling to overcome Newcastle at the weekend, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel may opt to return to a back three against Lille tomorrow evening.

The Blues may have a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie but Tuchel will likely still go with his strongest formation and best eleven available.

Things haven’t been easy for the manager or the players, with all the off-the-pitch issues, but they will be glad to focus on their football tomorrow.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup to take on Lille.

GK – Edouard Mendy

Wasn’t overly taxed against the Magpies with a couple of decent saves in either half needed to maintain Chelsea’s clean sheet.

It will be interesting to see whether Mendy will be tested more by Lille. They had 15 shots in the first leg at Stamford Bridge so the Ligue One side may cause some problems tomorrow.

RWB – Cesar Azpilicueta

Tuchel has confirmed that the club captain is fit and available for the trip to France so expect him to come straight back into the starting eleven.

Azpilicueta’s experience is invaluable and, with Reece James back on the treatment table, he may be asked to start at wingback once more.

CB – Trevoh Chalobah

The 22-year-old started at fullback on Sunday. It was an unfamiliar position for the defender and he is much better playing in central areas.

If, as expected, Thiago Silva does return to the starting lineup, it will be between Chalobah and Andreas Christensen for a starting spot, but the former has done more than enough to keep his place ahead of his Danish teammate.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian sat out the Newcastle match so you would expect him to be recalled against Lille, with a place in the Champions League quarter-finals at stake.

Silva will play an instrumental role in helping to keep a clean sheet in France, using his vast experience and leadership qualities to marshal the backline.

CB – Antonio Rudiger

The German showed his strengths playing in a back four at the weekend, making no less than three lung-busting runs to get his team up the pitch.

Rudiger is an indispensable player for Tuchel and he can’t really be left out for any game on current form. Hopefully, he maintains those levels versus Lille.

LWB – Marcos Alonso

This will be an interesting call by Tuchel. The Spaniard is back in full training after fully recovering from the virus, but he has barely played in recent weeks.

If Chelsea do return to five at the back, Saul Niguez would be a strong candidate to play on the left flank but Alonso does offer more going forward and didn’t put a foot wrong during his last game against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

CM – Mateo Kovacic

With Jorginho failing to make an impression once again versus Newcastle, Kovacic does deserve to be recalled for the Lille game.

The Croatian looked sharp after coming on at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with one notable run into the final third. The midfielder does give the Blues more purpose and energy when he starts matches.

CM – N’Golo Kante

The France international was busy both in and out of possession against the Magpies, and there were times when his teammates failed to capitalise on runs he made into the final third of the pitch.

Kante is performing to a high level at the moment, and he will be instrumental in helping to secure the result they need tomorrow night.

RW – Mason Mount

After looking very lively versus Norwich, the 23-year-old was far more subdued at the weekend, with his passing and forward runs rarely coming off.

However, with Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner also failing to impress, and Callum Hudson-Odoi struggling with an Achilles issue, it seems Mount could keep his place.

CF – Kai Havertz

The German’s sublime touch and finish for Chelsea’s winner versus Newcastle demonstrated both his excellent technical skill and the confidence he possesses at the moment.

Havertz deserves to keep leading the line as long as this hot streak in front of goal continues, with Romelu Lukaku left twiddling his thumbs on the bench.

LW – Christian Pulisic

The 23-year-old could be recalled for the trip to Lille. As we have mentioned already, neither Ziyech nor Werner put forward their cases for staying in the team with their performances against Newcastle.

Pulisic was only afforded ten minutes after coming on as a substitute on Sunday so Tuchel will likely give him a start to show more of what he can do.