Premier League giants Chelsea will be looking to continue their fantastic run of clean sheets when they welcome Sheffield United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. The Blues are coming into this tie on the back of a comfortable 3-0 win against Ligue 1 outfit Rennes in the Champions League, where goals from Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham proved to be the difference between the sides. The London club were in control of proceedings in that match right from the off, and they didn’t allow the opposition too many clear opportunities to strike at Edouard Mendy’s goal.
Chelsea haven’t conceded a goal in any of their last five matches across all competitions, with that run including games against Manchester United and Sevilla as well. Moreover, Lampard can also take motivation from the fact that they’ve scored ten times in the last three fixtures, without reply. Despite starting the season with various questions being asked about their defensive fragility, the Blues have managed to throw light on the actual situation at hand. Not only do they look impenetrable at the back, but their attacking play has been right up there with the best as well.
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The London club’s biggest absence comes in the form of Kai Havertz, with Lampard announcing before the Rennes match that the midfielder had tested positive for the Coronavirus. With the player expected to go into isolation, the former Leverkusen man isn’t likely to return to action for Chelsea until after the upcoming international break. Apart from him, Kepa Arrizabalaga is another player who is seemingly dealing with a slight knock. Christian Pulisic is also unlikely to make it back in time for this weekend match, while they have been boosted by Billy Gilmour’s return to full fitness.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Sheffield United:
Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Sheffield United
Defence
The arrival of Edouard Mendy in the summer has come as a massive boon to Frank Lampard’s ambitions, as the Senegalese stopper has kept clean sheets in each of his last five matches. Given the blistering form that he is displaying, it would be highly surprising to see him dropped from the eleven. In front of him, expect the Blues to deploy the same back-two that started the game against Rennes, in the form of Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva. Ben Chilwell is likely to continue to operate down the left flank, while Cesar Azpilicueta could replace Reece James over on the other side.
Midfield
Although Gilmour is back in first-team training, it’s unlikely that the Scot will be given a start in this match. Instead, we could see the return of Mateo Kovacic to the eleven, alongside N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman was quite sensational in the win against Rennes, as he won the ball back for Chelsea on numerous occasions over the course of the ninety. Kovacic was only used as a second-half substitute and could be issued a rather overdue start. In front of the duo, expect Lampard to stick with the attacking presence of Mason Mount, operating in the number ten role.
Attack
The midweek game saw Tammy Abraham being handed a start as Timo Werner was instead pushed over to the left flank. This time around though, Lampard could be tempted to bring the German speedster back into his natural centre-forward role. Instead, the gaffer could opt to give Callum Hudson-Odoi a start on the left flank. Hakim Ziyech has really started to win over the hearts of the Chelsea faithful in recent weeks, meaning that his place in the side is pretty secure. The Moroccan is likely to be given the nod once again on the right side.
