Premier League giants Chelsea will be looking to gain a stronger grip on third place when they travel to Bramall Lane to take on Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United side this weekend. The Blues are coming into this fixture on the back of a feisty 3-2 victory against London rivals Crystal Palace, a match where the Pensioners’ back-line hadn’t necessarily covered themselves in glory. Despite the west London club taking an early two-goal lead, they weren’t able to see the game out, and Palace looked dangerous every time they created an opportunity.
At the end of the night, the Blues were perhaps lucky to come away with all three points. Sheffield United, on the other hand, pulled off a smashing 1-0 win over fellow European rivals Wolves in midweek, with a late strike by John Egan sealing the points for the Blades. While a victory for the away side would allow them to maintain the distance with Leicester City and Manchester United, a Sheffield United win could send Chelsea out of the Champions League places, if other fixtures from the week don’t go in their favour.
Team News
The biggest injury miss for Frank Lampard going into this fixture is undoubtedly that of N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman seemed to be gradually cementing the Blues’ defensive midfield role since the resumption of football, but his injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Mateo Kovacic is another key name that missed the Palace game, and although Lampard has admitted that the Croat could return against Sheffield, it’s unlikely that he’ll be risked from the start. Fikayo Tomori is also unlikely to feature in the squad this weekend.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Sheffield United:
Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Sheffield United
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Spanish stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga has had a couple of questionable moments since the restart of Premier League football, but it’s unlikely that Lampard will risk playing Willy Caballero at this stage of the competition. In front of him, expect the gaffer to stick with the same centre-half pairing that has won them all three points in the last couple of fixtures. Antonio Rudiger had a horror game against West Ham United and is set to continue on the bench, with Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma set to start. Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta are expected to take up the full-back roles.
Midfield
The London club were undoubtedly the winners of the midfield battle against Palace last time out, and Lampard would hence be expected to deploy the same trio in the core of the side yet again. Young Scot Billy Gilmour should start the game as the lone midfield anchor, with Ross Barkley and Mason Mount taking up slightly more advanced roles in front of the prodigious playmaker. Barkley and Mount have been the Blues’ in-form midfielders over the last couple of weeks, and their partnership has yielded positive results so far.
Attack
Tammy Abraham’s playing time has taken a considerable dip since the resumption of football, and perhaps with good reason. Since Olivier Giroud’s introduction into the first-team post-lockdown, the Frenchman’s hold-up play and general finishing have been right up there with the best. Moreover, the fact that Giroud is much better at link-up play has helped bring the best out of the other attackers as well. Willian and Christian Pulisic have been the Blues’ two main attacking catalysts since the restart, and the pair of them are set to maintain their place on either flank for this tie.
