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Chelsea team that could play against Valencia in a crucial fixture

Frank Lampard could look to freshen things up against Valencia in the Champions League group stage game next which could potentially be a decisive tie in their quest of the round of 16 advancements.

lampard

Bengaluru, Nov. 26: Frank Lampard could look to freshen things up against Valencia in the Champions League group stage game next which could potentially be a decisive tie in their quest of the round of 16 advancements.

Both Valencia and Chelsea sit at 7 points with Ajax only leading the table due to the difference of goals. The winners of the game are likely to advance to the round of 16, while the losers may plausibly have to rely on a slip from Ajax to do so.

Chelsea were on a seven-match unbeaten run ahead of the weekend where they were stopped by Manchester City by 2-1. But Lampard could look to settle things back again and there could be little changes in the lineup as well.

Below is our predicted squad of the game:

Goalkeeper

Kepa Arrizabalaga will arguably be the number one in the game. The 24-year-old will likely have Caballero as his deputy in the tie.

Defence

Lampard is unlikely to experiment with the defensive set-up ahead of the crucial tie and likely to field the same combination against Valencia. Tomori and Zouma are likely to partner in the middle of the backline while Skipper Azpilicueta and Emerson are expected to command to the fullback position.

Midfield

Midfield is the area in which Lampard now has to make a firm decision. With N’Golo Kante returning from injury in Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, the Blues now have a lot of options to determine a preferred formation.

With a trio of Jorginho, Kovacic and Kante, Lampard could settle for a 4-3-3 set up like the Manchester City to have a better defensive shape. While putting in Mount in place of Jorginho could also see him field a side with 4-2-3-1 set-up. With the game being a tricky away tie, Lampard could settle for the former but Mount could return to the line-up in the left-wing position in place of Pulisic which could give him them more defensive stability. The right-wing slot, however, is likely to be covered by Willian only as Callum Hudson-Odoi is a big doubt after missing out of Saturday’s fixture against Manchester City with a hamstring problem.

Forward

Without any doubt, the frontline would definitely be lead by their leading scorer Tammy Abraham. The English international is in fine form and has already scored 11 goals so far. He should play ahead of other options with Batshuayi may come from the bench later.

Story first published: Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 19:05 [IST]
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