Chelsea will entertain RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League on Wednesday evening in what will be Graham Potter’s first game in charge of the club.
The Pensioners suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League group-stages opener, which resulted in the sacking of Thomas Tuchel. The club appointed Graham Potter as Tuchel’s successor, and the new Blues boss will hope to start his life in west London with a win against a strong RB Salzburg side.
Edouard Mendy suffered an injury in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over West Ham in the Premier League that made him miss the game against Dinamo Zagreb. It is unclear when Mendy will return to full fitness.
N’Golo Kante is still sidelined with a hamstring problem and will likely return after the international break.
Goalkeeper
As Edouard Mendy is a big doubt with a knee problem, Kepa Arrizabalaga will deputise for him in goal against RB Salzburg. It will be a great opportunity for Kepa to impress the new manager and get his spot in the team back.
Defence
Graham Potter is likely to line up in a back-three system against Salzburg. Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva and Wesley Fofana could form the three-man backline for Chelsea.
Koulibaly must improve his performances after a nervy start to life in England since moving from Napoli this summer, while expectations are high from big-money recruit Fofana following his capture from Leicester City. If Silva can maintain his fitness and get back to his best, Potter will potentially have a strong base to build his team from in his own mould.
Midfield
Potter built a strong Brighton side on the back of a system that allowed the wing-backs to motor forward and express themselves freely. A similar approach from him at Chelsea is expected, with Reece James and Marc Cucurella operating as wing-backs and influencing the play in the final third.
In central midfield, Jorginho could partner Mateo Kovacic and keep things ticking over for the hosts. The duo of Jorginho and Kovacic will need to be strong and aggressive in their approach to win the midfield battles against the Austrian giants.
Attack
The new Chelsea boss has a plethora of attacking talents to pick from in his first game at Stamford Bridge. He could deploy Raheem Sterling on the left of a front three, with Hakim Ziyech occupying the position on the opposite flank.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will spearhead the Chelsea attack in midweek. The Gabonese is a top, proven striker who will have the onus of converting the chances created by his fellow forwards. The likes of Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount could feature at some stage late in the game.
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