Chelsea will have a home fixture in the Europa League to navigate before they can turn their focus back to the Premier League on the weekend. The Blues lost for only the second time this season when Tottenham Hotspur completely dominated them at Wembley much to the surprise of all of us.
But Sarri will have analysed the loss and it certainly was an urgent wake-up call for the plethora of fixtures which will hit them in December (10 to be precise). But first, it is a seemingly simple task of seeing off PAOK tonight. Having already qualified after winning all 4 games thus far, Sarri will make wholesale changes to the side which started against Spurs. Chelsea need just a point from the 2 remaining games to ensure the top spot.
MANAGER SPEAK
Maurizio Sarri wants nothing but perfection from Chelsea but knows it will take time to get to that stage.
“The targets are very clear in my mind: in the short period, to win something,”
“And in the long period, to become the best team in Europe. I want to see we learned our lessons”
TEAM NEWS
Eden Hazard is out with a slight niggle while Victor Moses remains on the sidelines. Rest of the squad is fit to play.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP TO FACE PAOK (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
We expect a start for Argentine Willy Caballero. The former Manchester City man has been slightly inconsistent but his credentials cannot be doubted.
Davide Zappacosta should start at right-back. He needs to make use of such opportunities to remain in contention for the busy festive schedule. Gary Cahill is expected to get a rare start and he is likely to be partnered by Andreas Christensen. Marcos Alonso will get a breather with Emerson his likely replacement.
MIDFIELD
We expect a midfield three of Cesc Fabregas, Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The Spaniard will look to pull the strings from deep while Barkley and Loftus-Cheek will provide the muscle and energy in running the midfield.
ATTACK
This is a good opportunity to use Callum Hudson Odoi. The 18-year-old has seen chances hard to come by but will hope for a rare start tonight. Olivier Giroud will lead the attack. It is high time he seizes the opportunity to impress with Alvaro Morata struggling big time as the first choice striker.
On the right, we expect Pedro to get a game from the beginning. He has been good in patches but has more than enough arsenal to impress against PAOK.
