Chelsea’s congested run of matches continues against Rennes midweek at Stamford Bridge. Who will Frank Lampard field for this match?
With fixtures coming fast and furious for Chelsea, Frank Lampard will have to make some changes every once and awhile. He’d love to field his best starting XI in every match, but the fact of the matter is that isn’t possible. The Blues are set to host Rennes midweek in the third Champions League match of the group stage. They look to go into the midway point atop the group with seven points. Who will Lampard turn to in order to get this done? Here is the predicted XI for Chelsea versus Rennes:
Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal
Luckily for Blues fans, goalkeepers seldom need rest. Edouard Mendy is the undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper for the remainder of the season. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. The Senegalese shot stopper will be between the sticks for a majority of the year aside from a few games here and there where he gets a rest—this isn’t one of those games.
The former Rennes keeper has been fantastic to kick off the season at Chelsea. As much as it may pain him to bring misery to his old teammates, that’s what’s in store for the French side on Wednesday when he carries the Blues to victory.
Cesar Azpilicueta (No. 28) Right back, Spain
Lampard has a nice, interchangeable right back rotation going on early in the year. Perhaps it’s because Reece James has been sensational or it may be because Cesar Azpilicueta won’t be in Chelsea blue forever. Regardless of the gaffer’s reasoning, he’s rotated his right backs to perfection this season. James got the run out against Burnley, so now it’s the skipper’s turn. It’ll also help to have Azpilicueta in this match as he commands a back line that doesn’t have much time playing together lately, especially on the big stage of a Champions League night.
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Kurt Zouma (No. 15) Centerback, France
Lampard’s back line last season was incredibly unstable, and that’s putting it nicely. One of the bright spots, however, was Kurt Zouma. Zouma’s been a staple at the back this season, hardly ever getting a day off. While that may be because the manager is worried about what would happen if he takes his best central defender out, it hardly matters because Zouma is young. He’ll likely get the nod in this one, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rotated out late in the match if the Blues hold a comfortable multi-goal lead.
Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Centerback, Germany
Antonio Rudiger is back from the doghouse. The German centerback looked most likely of the bunch to leave before the summer window slammed shut. A month later and here we are, Rudiger is still in west London. He made his season debut against Krasnodar and despite what many were worried off, Rudiger played incredibly well. His problem throughout his time at Chelsea has been consistency, but maybe a fight for his job will motivate him to string some great performances together. Rudiger won’t start in big matches over Zouma or Thiago Silva—who will use this game as an opportunity to rest—but he can still play an important role in the team this season. He earned this start by rewarding his manager in the last Champions League bout.
Emerson (No. 33) Left back, Italy
Let’s face it, Ben Chilwell needs a break more than any individual in the team—barring maybe Timo Werner. Chilwell’s recent performances have been sluggish as he’s looked tired, but overall, he’s still played quite well. A midweek battle against Rennes is a game the Englishman can afford to miss. There’s no way in hell Lampard throws Marcos Alonso out there, so it’s Emerson’s turn to step right up.
The Italian left back has been the lesser of two evils between he and Alonso this season. Although he isn’t any Chelsea fans’ ideal back-up left back, he’s had some decent outings this season. The Blues will likely dominate possession against Rennes and perhaps Emerson can be useful in the final third.