Kai Havertz and Thiago Silva will return to the Chelsea starting lineup against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Chelsea will stare at the herculean task of reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they welcome Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening. And Frank Lampard has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Armando Broja are the only players remaining in the treatment room. And Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Kai Havertz are available after recovering from minor issues. But there is some bad news, as Ben Chilwell will serve a suspension after seeing red last week in the first leg.
Lampard did not discuss any team news updates during his pre-match press conference. Instead, he spoke about the prospects of overturning the two-goal deficit to beat Real Madrid and reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
He said, “Anything is possible in football and there’s no doubt that we’re a competitive team and we deserve to be here in this stage of the competition. We also understand that the opponent is really high-level, but if we get things right, if we work hard, if we do the right things in the game, then anything is possible.”
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“I’ve got no doubt the atmosphere will be positive. When I say that, I’m talking about the lead-up to the game and the start of the game, the rest is a little bit down to us as a team to play with a real desire and know-how to turn the tie around. I’ve been here too many times at this level of game at Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on an evening midweek Champions League knock-out game, so I understand that the atmosphere is going to be great.”
Kepa Arrizabalaga donned the captain’s armband against Brighton & Hove Albion this past weekend. So it is clear that the Spanish international is the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Chelsea. Meanwhile, the Blues will line up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of Kepa.
The defensive unit will have a new look, with Wesley Fofana being the only player to retain his spot. The young Frenchman will join Thiago Silva in the central defensive partnership, with Benoit Badiashile not in Chelsea’s Champions League squad. Meanwhile, Marc Cucurella will replace Ben Chilwell, while Reece James will start as the right-back.
As for the midfield unit, N’Golo Kante, like Silva behind him, will return after getting some rest on the weekend. The French international will accompany Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.
Finally, the offensive unit will also see a few changes. While Mykhailo Mudryk should retain his spot, Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling will drop to the bench. Joao Felix and Kai Havertz will replace the duo, with the latter spearheading the attack. Sterling, Pulisic, and Hakim Ziyech will be among the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; James, Wesley Fofana, Silva, Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Kante, Kovacic; Mudryk, Havertz, Felix
