Thiago Silva and Jorginho will return when Chelsea host Red Bull Salzburg at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group opener, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly when they play hosts to Red Bull Salzburg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
New manager Graham Potter will look to make his mark at his new club, and it remains to be seen whether he can impress the Stamford Bridge faithful with a comprehensive win.
The Blues had plenty of opportunities to win the game against Dinamo Zagreb, but their finishing was not up to the mark. Chelsea have some exceptional attacking players at their disposal, and the fans will expect a much-improved showing in the final third this week.
Chelsea will be the favourites heading into the contest, and they should really be able to pick up a comfortable victory given the number of injury problems the away side has to deal with. Red Bull Salzburg are without a number of key players here and they will be massive underdogs heading into the contest.
Chelsea vs Red Bull Salzburg Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
As for Chelsea, Graham Potter has two injury issues to deal with. N’Golo Kante misses out with an injury, and Edouard Mendy will join him on the sidelines.
Potter said to the club’s official website, “Edouard Mendy will miss the game, and so will N’Golo Kante. Both of them are progressing well but the game comes too soon. He [Mendy] has responded well but his knee has been bothering him for a bit. It might not be too long but at the moment he is not available.”
Apart from that, Potter should be able to field his strongest lineup on Wednesday night, with Kepa Arizzabalaga continuing in goal, as he did against Dinamo Zagreb last week. Chelsea should welcome the likes of Jorginho and Thiago Silva back into the starting lineup here. Both players were dropped from the first eleven against Dinamo Zagreb.
Silva is likely to partner new signings Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly in a back three. In the midfield, Jorginho is expected to play alongside Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount. Reece James and Marc Cucurella should start as the wing-backs. Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are set to lead the line for Chelsea against Red Bull Salzburg, forming the strike partnership.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Mount, Cucurella; Sterling, Aubameyang
