Chelsea will hope to see off Malmo without much fuss in the second leg of the Europa League round of 32 clash tonight before the all-important Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.
The Blues won the first leg 2-1 and will be confident of getting the job done tonight. Under-pressure Maurizio Sarri knows he needs to rack up the wins now to have a chance of holding on to his job. February has been especially unpleasant for him, with two damaging defeats against the Manchester clubs where they conceded 8 goals without any reply, getting knocked out of the FA Cup in the process.
The final on Sunday will be their second game in a run where they play three matches in the space of a week, with Tottenham Hotspur scheduled to visit Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
Kepa Arrizabalaga has been ruled out with a hamstring problem while Davide Zappacosta and Pedro are major doubts due to a fever and stomach bug respectively. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also a minor doubt due to a back issue.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP VS MALMO (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
Willy Caballero is expected to feature in goal with Kepa ruled out. Rob Green also offers an alternative.
With Zappacosta down with fever, Azpilicueta is likely to start once again at right-back. Andreas Christensen is likely to get the nod and he should line up with David Luiz in central defence. The duo will be keen to keep a clean sheet which will surely come as a boost ahead of Sunday.
Emerson Palmieri will start at left-back with Marcos Alonso likely to be rested ahead of the game against Manchester City.
MIDFIELD
Jorginho seems to be Sarri’s go-to man despite his apparent struggles in recent weeks. While there will be the temptation to hand him a breather ahead of games against City and Spurs, Sarri might deploy him in the holding midfield role to get his rhythm back.
Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley are expected to start on either side of him in slightly advanced areas. The English midfielder scored in the first leg and will look to continue his good form.
ATTACK
Eden Hazard is unlikely to feature and we might see Callum Hudson-Odoi finally get a start on the left-flank with Pedro also a doubt.
Willian should start on the right and will be expected to provide the ammunition for Olivier Giroud who will be leading the line.
