Chelsea will take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League second-leg clash on Tuesday. The tie is finely poised as the Blues will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg.
Although Chelsea dropped pints against Leeds United last weekend, they will be quietly confident of getting the job done against Atletico Madrid, who have struggled for form of late.
Diego Simeone’s side were held by the ten men of Getafe in their last outing, and have won just two out of their last six games in all competitions.
Chelsea Team News
Tammy Abraham had a knee problem recently and missed out against Leeds United on Saturday. He is expected to sit out once again. Thiago Silva is also a doubt for the match against Atletico Madrid.
Jorginho and Mason Mount are suspended for this match as both of them received a yellow card in the first leg against Atletico Madrid.
Tuchel will have to restructure his team accordingly, as Mount has so often offered the pressing and workrate off the ball in the attacking third.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup (3-5-2)
Defence
Edouard Mendy should keep his place in goal, and he is likely to have a busy night as Atletico Madrid have to score to get an away goal.
Tuchel is probably going to go with three centre-backs once again. James will play as the right wing-back in the back five, while Chilwell will play left wing-back. Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Andreas Christensen should feature at the back in the three-man defence.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Atletico Madrid
The trio has been pretty reliable in the defence of late, and very difficult to break down so far. Atletico Madrid’s attack has been out of form, so they could struggle to breach the solid Chelsea defence.
Midfield
In the absence of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante will pair with Mateo Kovacic at the centre of midfield in the Chelsea lineup. Both of them are in excellent form, and will have to be at their tenacious best against a hard-working Atletico Madrid midfield.
Attack
We expect Callum Hudson-Odoi to start on the right-wing, and Timo Werner to start on the left side of the Chelsea lineup.
Tuchel has been impressed with the performances of Kai Havertz of late, and he could start in attack. Olivier Giroud could be a good option off the bench.
