Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side will be eager to maintain their excellent run of form when they welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge for their midweek EFL Cup tie. Chelsea were comfortable 4-2 winners against Burnley on the weekend, with American wonderboy Christian Pulisic getting his first Premier League hat-trick for the club.
Although United are coming into this game on the back of a confidence-boosting 3-1 win against Norwich City, beating the Blues will be a different task altogether. Even though United beat Chelsea on the opening day of the campaign, the Blues are now in red hot form and could really end up hurting this struggling United team.
Team News
Emerson’s return to match-fitness is sure to come as positive news to Frank Lampard, meaning that he could be ready in time to feature against the Red Devils. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both remain sidelined with groin and things strains respectively. N’Golo Kante’s road to recovery has been slower than what most Chelsea fans would’ve hoped for, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to ready in time for this fixture either.
Ross Barkley is another player who could be a doubt for Chelsea’s midweek game but could feature for them on the weekend. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also nearing his return to match fitness, but this fixture will certainly come too soon for him. Less importantly, Marco Van Ginkel’s ACL injury keeps him out of contention for this tie as well.
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
The centre-half pairing of Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori has worked wonders so far for the Blues this season, and their partnership at the heart of the Blues’ backline is expected to continue. The duo has been working on their physical presence in the penalty area, and this was quite clear in their defensive performance against Burnley on the weekend. Despite conceding two late goals, the Blues defended sensationally for the majority of the game.
Emerson could return to the starting lineup this week, which would in turn trigger Marcos Alonso’s drop to the bench. Although the Italian hasn’t been involved for a few weeks now, Lampard will be eager to bring him back into the first-team picture, making this cup tie the ideal game to do just that. Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to continue in his regular role at right-back. Kepa retains his place in goal.
Midfield
The injuries to Kante, Barkley and Loftus-Cheek mean that Chelsea only have the option of playing with Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in midfield. Although Mason Mount might join them on the left side, he is usually seen switching between midfield and a number ten role. Very much the player who roams freely and makes things happen for the Blues, Mount’s influence on this Chelsea team simply cannot be underplayed.
Chelsea’s ability to switch between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 at will makes them a deadly force on the counter charge. With the pace of Willian and Hudson-Odoi on either side, the Blues can be explosive while moving forward. Although their American star Christian Pulisic scored a fantastic hat-trick on the weekend, expect Lampard to rest him until the Premier League game on the weekend.
Attack
Tammy Abraham has been overdue a goal for a while now, and Manchester United could be the perfect opponents to get it against. He was extremely unfortunate not to get a goal against the Red Devils when the clubs met on the opening week of the league. Since then though, both teams have taken opposing paths, with the Reds apparently headed towards mediocrity, while the Blues are hitting new and unexpected heights. Having gone three games without a goal, this could be the ideal opportunity for Abraham to rekindle his scoring touch.
