Chelsea will entertain Preston North End at Stamford Bridge earlier tonight as they look to secure a positive result in the FA Cup. The Blues earned a hard-fought 3-2 win versus Luton Town recently which should keep them in high spirits ahead of this clash.
Mauricio Pochettino will set his men up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to name a strong first XI for this game. Raheem Sterling will get a chance to impress from the start of this contest in the absence of Nicolas Jackson who will miss this game due to his participation in the African Cup of Nations.
4-2-3-1 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Preston
Defence
Dorde Petrovic will feature in between the sticks for the Blues after shipping in a couple of goals in his last outing. Thiago Silva will function alongside Axel Disasi at the centre of Pochettino’s defence as they try to give a good account of himself on the defensive third of the pitch.
Malo Gusto will fill in as the right-back while Levi Colwill hopes to catch the eye as the left-back. Both of them will get the license to get forward and join in on the attack at every chance they get.
Midfield
Moises Caicedo will anchor the midfield along with Conor Gallagher as they look to establish their superiority over the opposition at the centre of the park.
The talented trio of Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke will play just ahead of them as part of Chelsea’s frontline. All three of them need to combine well if the Blues are to create enough clear-cut chances to win this cup contest.
Ian Maatsen, Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez will be named on the bench and might come on to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if needed. However, Nicolas Jackson won’t be available for this contest.
Attack
Armando Broja will lead the charge for the West London club in the final third. He has to find a way to threaten the opponent’s goal this weekend.
Christopher Nkunku will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his chance to influence the game in the latter stages if required.
