Premier League giants Chelsea will be looking to secure progress in the only tournament that they have a realistic chance of winning, when they welcome runaway league leaders Liverpool to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. The Blues are coming into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on the weekend, in a fixture where Frank Lampard’s side had numerous opportunities to put the game away.
In the end, it took a late Marcos Alonso strike to salvage a point for the Blues. Luckily for them though, none of the teams around them on the table were able to take advantage of the situation, and Chelsea currently remain in fourth place. Although finishing in top four will obviously be the primary objective for Lampard and his staff, the FA Cup – a tournament in which the Blues have an immense pedigree, could come as a bonus at the end of the season.
Team News
The absences of Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham in the Chelsea front-line continues to hurt Lampard’s side, as they just seem to be unable to put the ball into the back of the net from even the most favourable of situations. N’Golo Kante is another big name that’s been missing out on the action for a while now, and the Frenchman’s return could have a massive impact. Marco Van Ginkel continues on the sidelines, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is on his road to recovery.
Predicted 3-4-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Liverpool
Formation: 3-4-3
Defence
This cup fixture against the league leaders could see the return of Spanish shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga into the first-team with Argentine veteran Willy Caballero expected to be given a rest after more than a month of regular football. Lampard could stick with a three-man defence against the Reds, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori expected to form the back-line.
Midfield
Marcos Alonso and Reece James will be tasked with the full-back roles in this setup, wherein the young James will have the added responsibility of delivering quality into the box. Alonso was the star of the show for Chelsea in the last fixture, and his contributions to this side cannot be underplayed. Expect the gaffer to give Mateo Kovacic a rest from the action with Ross Barkley set to replace him in the middle of the park, alongside Lampard’s midfield commander Jorginho.
Attack
In the absence of Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud’s dwindling Chelsea career has found new life, and the Frenchman is likely to keep his place as the Chelsea target man. The Frenchman’s influence in the final third has been limited over the last couple of fixtures though, and he’ll surely be hoping to change that. For support, Mason Mount and Willian could be deployed either side of the veteran striker.
