Chelsea will entertain Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as they try to pick up a victory and secure a spot in the next round of the EFL Cup. The Blues managed to earn a brilliant 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend, so Thomas Tuchel will expect another impressive performance from his players in midweek.
The West London club will set up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation with Tuchel expected to make a lot of changes to his starting XI for this cup game. Timo Werner will probably get the nod to lead the charge for the Blues up top while Romelu Lukaku gets to rest his legs on the bench.
3-4-2-1 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Aston Villa
Defence
Edouard Mendy will once again miss out because of injury which means that Kepa Arrizabalaga should continue to feature as Chelsea’s primary keeper in this game. Malang Sarr could get a start along with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen as they all try to contain the Villans from finding the back of the net this Wednesday.
Thiago Silva will get a rest on the bench as he provides cover for the centre-back positions.
Midfield
Saul Niguez could be chosen to anchor the midfield alongside Ross Barkley in this midweek clash. Both of them will have to retain possession well at the centre of the park if the Blues are to come out on top later this week.
Ben Chilwell will be a nailed-on starter down the left flank while Cesar Azpilicueta continues to play as the right wing-back. Both Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi will operate just ahead of them as Chelsea’s attacking midfielders.
Kai Havertz and Jorginho will drop to the bench as they await their chance to make a difference as the late-game substitutes if Tuchel decides to call upon their services.
Attack
Timo Werner will get the freedom to play as Chelsea’s first-choice centre-forward. The German striker has to figure out a way to be more clinical in the final third if he wants to receive more playing minutes in the future. This game will be a perfect opportunity for him to bang in a goal or two and push for a regular spot in Tuchel’s first team in the coming weeks.
Romelu Lukaku will be available on the bench as Tuchel is likely to give him a breather after the Belgian striker played the full 90 minutes in the London derby last weekend.
