Chelsea Confirmed Lineup vs Villarreal: Chalobah starts in defence; Kante the captain

Trevoh Chalobah gets the nod in defence while N’Golo Kante captains the side as Chelsea get set to take on Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has shown great confidence in academy product Trevoh Chalobah, handing him a start in the Blues’ UEFA Super Cup clash against Villarreal at the Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The youngster, who has impressed in pre-season playing in defence despite being a holding midfielder, slots in the three-man backline alongside Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger, with the trio protecting Edouard Mendy in goal.

Out wide, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marcos Alonso get picked as the wing-backs on the right and left sides, respectively ahead of England duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell. At the heart of the midfield, it is superstar N’Golo Kante, who will also skipper the side tonight in the absence of Cesar Azpilicueta. The Frenchman is partnered by Mateo Kovacic.

Moving into the final third of the pitch, Hakim Ziyech, who has been in impressive form in pre-season, slots in as one of the two attacking midfielders, along with Kai Havertz. Timo Werner will be the man leading the line for Chelsea as they look to start the new season with a trophy.

Chelsea Confirmed XI: Mendy, Zouma, Chalobah, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso, Ziyech, Werner, Havertz.

Trevoh Chalobah gets the nod in defence while N’Golo Kante captains the side as Chelsea get set to take on Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has shown great confidence in academy product Trevoh Chalobah, handing him a start in the Blues’ UEFA Super Cup clash against Villarreal at the Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The youngster, who has impressed in pre-season playing in defence despite being a holding midfielder, slots in the three-man backline alongside Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger, with the trio protecting Edouard Mendy in goal.

Out wide, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marcos Alonso get picked as the wing-backs on the right and left sides, respectively ahead of England duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell. At the heart of the midfield, it is superstar N’Golo Kante, who will also skipper the side tonight in the absence of Cesar Azpilicueta. The Frenchman is partnered by Mateo Kovacic.

Moving into the final third of the pitch, Hakim Ziyech, who has been in impressive form in pre-season, slots in as one of the two attacking midfielders, along with Kai Havertz. Timo Werner will be the man leading the line for Chelsea as they look to start the new season with a trophy.

Chelsea Confirmed XI: Mendy, Zouma, Chalobah, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso, Ziyech, Werner, Havertz.