Chelsea will play hosts to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Spurs managed to beat their London rivals through a Harry Kane penalty last week, but they have lost the English striker due to injury since then which could hamper their chances of progressing into the League Cup final.
Maurizio Sarri had to endure a disappointing performance from his players against Arsenal last weekend so he would expect a robust response from his team going into this midweek clash against Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Chelsea will lineup in a 4-3-3 formation with Gonzalo Higuain likely to start up top if he is registered on time for this encounter.
4-3-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Tottenham Hotspur
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in between the sticks for the home team in midweek after conceding four goals in his last three outings across all competitions. The Spanish goalie will need to put in a solid display at the back if the Pensioners are to overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
Sarri might opt to start with the defensive pairing of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger as they attempt to keep the likes of Lucas Moura and Fernando Llorente quiet on Thursday night.
Cesar Azpilicueta should retain his spot at right-back, but he needs to be more productive going forward. Emerson Palmieri might get a rare start at left-back with the Chelsea boss looking to freshen things up in defence for this League Cup clash against Spurs.
Midfield
The midfield trio of Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Ethan Ampadu might start at the middle of the park after the Pensioners midfield crumbled against Arsenal last weekend. Sarri would be desperate for a positive response from his midfielders so the fate of this tie may very well ride on their shoulders.
Attack
Both Eden Hazard and Callum Hudson-Odoi should get starts up top as they look to create some chances down the wide areas. Hazard’s recent form has been concerning, so hopefully, he would come up with a big performance on Thursday night to silence all his critics.
Gonzalo Higuain is on the verge of completing his loan switch to Stamford Bridge and a recent report by talkSPORT has confirmed that if the Pensioners can get the Argentine forward registered by midday on Wednesday, then he should get the green light to start against Spurs on Thursday.
