Maurizio Sarri will face a crucial and arguably defining moment in his stint as the Chelsea manager when he occupies the dugout when the Blues line up to take on the mighty Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
It is a fact that Chelsea have not been at their best in recent times. But we must not forget this team won the Premier League last to last season and are in with a good chance to win 2 trophies and finish in the top 4 as well. Boasting some world class talents in Eden Hazard, Gonzalo Higuain, N’Golo Kante and the likes, Sarri’s men, on their day, are capable of beating any team. And the fans will hope today is one such day.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
Chelsea do not have any major issue on the injury front with Ruben Loftus-Cheek also expected to be fit to feature. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Pedro are doubts but we expect the keeper to be passed fit for the fixture.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP VS MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
While Willy Caballero is good enough to do a job if called upon, Sarri will give his first choice keeper every chance to feature given how much is at stake here.
Cesar Azpilicueta will start at right back and his experience and big game mentality will come in handy for the Blues. Antonio Rudiger is likely to start in central defence and while many are leaning towards a start for the impressive Andreas Christensen, we reckon David Luiz might well be handed another chance to impress against the big guns.
We might see a surprise selection in the form of Emerson at left-back. Marcos Alonso has put in consistently average performances and might finally face the axe for a big game.
MIDFIELD
We are unlikely to see too much shuffling in the middle of the pitch. Jorginho will start as the deep-lying playmaker and will surely be better prepared to deal with City’s incessant pressure in midfield. He has been singled out for some harsh criticism and this might be the match which turns things around for the Italian.
N’Golo Kante is likely to have to play the advanced role in midfield which he is slowly growing into while Mateo Kovacic might complete the midfield trio.
ATTACK
Eden Hazard will start on the left and he will have a huge role to play. The Belgian has the capability to hurt the City defence and much will depend on how he links up with Gonzola Higuain who should be leading the line.
On the right-flank, we might be in for another surprising call with Callum Hudson-Odoi facing vociferous backing for a start ahead of Willian and Pedro. And Sarri might well make this personnel change to catch City’s weaker left side unawares. He also brings in the dash of unpredictability which the Blues have sorely lacked in the last month or so.
