Chelsea will entertain Malmo FF at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night hoping to secure qualification into the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 with a win in front of their home supporters. The Pensioners managed to claim a hard-fought 2-1 win away at Malmo last week which should give them an ideal platform to go on and guarantee progress into the next round of the competition.
Maurizio Sarri is expected to opt for a 4-3-3 formation and might be forced into making a few changes to his side following another dismal defeat against Manchester United last weekend.
4-3-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Malmo FF
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will keep his place in between the sticks despite conceding two goals against Manchester United last weekend. The Spanish keeper needs to step up his game at the back if the Pensioners are to keep a clean sheet against Malmo on Thursday night.
Sarri might opt to go for the defensive duo of David Luiz and Andreas Christensen to line up at the centre of the Chelsea backline. Their number one priority should be to keep a clean sheet so that they can build some confidence after some disastrous displays on the defensive end of the pitch in recent weeks.
Cesar Azpilicueta should keep his spot on the right side of Sarri’s defence, but he needs to make more of an impact in the opposition half. Emerson Palmieri might get the nod to start ahead of Marcos Alonso, who is entirely out of form at the moment.
Midfield
The midfield trio of Ross Barkley, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante might start against the Swedish giants despite some poor displays in midfield over the past few weeks. Sarri would expect a positive response from his players as their performances will be integral if they are to win any major silverware this term.
Attack
Callum Hudson-Odoi should start this game down the left flank while Willian should get a chance to play on the other side. The Brazilian winger will try to create a few opportunities for Olivier Giroud who will spearhead the Pensioners’ attack up top.
The French centre-forward managed to find the back of the net in the first leg of the tie versus Malmo last week so he should be quietly confident about his chances of repeating the same feat on Thursday.
