Chelsea will lock horns with Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday night hoping to pick up a win and move into the top four of the points table. The Blues played out a 0-0 draw against Manchester United last Sunday, whereas Jurgen Klopp’s men recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory over Sheffield United.
Thomas Tuchel will probably opt for the 3-4-3 formation with a few tweaks from the last game. Marcos Alonso might get the nod over Ben Chilwell, whereas Timo Werner looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
3-4-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup Vs Liverpool
Defence
Edouard Mendy will operate in between the sticks for the upcoming away encounter. The Senegalese shot-stopper will hope to put up a strong performance and add to his tally of 11 clean sheets on Thursday.
Tuchel could choose to field a back-three consisting of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and César Azpilicueta as they look to keep things solid at the back on Thursday.
However, their prime objective will be to keep Salah and Mane quiet throughout the ninety minutes.
Midfield
Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante will fulfil the holding midfield positions, with the former occupying a more central role. Kante put a solid performance against the Red Devils last Sunday as he shielded the backline effectively throughout the ninety minutes, and he should be given a start if fully fit.
As mentioned above, Marcos Alonso might return to start in the left wing-back position, whereas Reece James will fill in on the other flank as the right wing-back.
Callum Hudson-Odoi will have to settle for a place on the bench but might come on in the latter stages of the game if needed. The Chelsea youngster picked up a minor injury against Manchester United; however, Tuchel did confirm that taking him off was more of a tactical decision.
“[He was] a little bit injured. The reason [he was replaced] was a tactical reason and a little injury, a combination, because we switched to a back-five in defence and covered the wide position from [Marcus] Rashford in between [Cesar] Azpilicueta and Reece James.” – The German tactician revealed in his post-match press conference.
Attack
Mason Mount will start in the attacking midfield role. As hinted by Tuchel, Timo Werner could well be in the starting eleven against Liverpool.
“He deserves this now; he had a good impact in the game against Atletico Madrid, there’s the feeling to give Timo a little break, have him fresh also for the fixture against Liverpool.” – The gaffer stated.
As a result, Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner will form the strike-partnership for the visitors on Thursday. The duo will fancy their chances of finding the back of the net when they face off against the Liverpool defence that has managed to keep just one clean sheet in their last seven league matches.
