Chelsea will travel to Amsterdam to face off against AFC Ajax at the Johan Cruijff Arena hoping to pick up their second win of this UEFA Champions League campaign. The Pensioners will come into this contest on the back of a 1-0 win over Newcastle United last weekend. The West London outfit are in good form after winning all of their previous five matches across all competitions.
Frank Lampard will likely stick with his favoured 4-3-3 formation and might make one change to his side for this midweek clash.
4-3-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Ajax
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will keep his place in goal after securing a hard-fought clean sheet versus the Magpies last weekend. The promising duo of Fikalyo Tomori and Kurt Zouma will assume their defensive duties at the heart of the Pensioners backline. They have been enjoying a good run of form of late so Lampard would hope that both defenders will continue to shine for Chelsea in the coming weeks.
Cesar Azpilicueta will keep his place at right-back even though Reece James is closing in on his first-team spot. Marcos Alonso will continue to fill in at the left-back position after his goal-scoring heroics against the Magpies last Saturday. Both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are not expected to travel to the Netherlands as they are currently sidelined due to injury. However, Emerson Palmieri could be a part of Lampard’s bench if he can recover in time for this European clash.
Midfield
The visitors might go with the midfield three of Mason Mount, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic as they try to dictate play from the centre of the park. The Chelsea midfielders would be responsible for breaking down the Ajax attacks and creating a few decent chances on the counter.
N’Golo Kante is a major doubt for this midweek encounter and will be in a race against time to be fit. However, Ross Barkley will be available on the bench and might come on to make an impact if required.
Attack
Tammy Abraham will spearhead Lampard’s attack up top as he has been in prolific form this season. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Willian will look to stretch the pitch out on the flanks. Both Christian Pulisic and Michy Batshuayi will have to settle for a place on the bench. They might be used as impact substitutes if Lampard requires their assistance in the second half.
