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Chelsea predicted XI for United: Small rotation in 3-4-2-1

By Vansh Ambashta

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United and Thomas Tuchel, Manager of PSG stand on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain at Old Trafford on February 12, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United and Thomas Tuchel, Manager of PSG stand on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain at Old Trafford on February 12, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Edouard Mendy of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on November 07, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ben Stansall – Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Edouard Mendy of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on November 07, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ben Stansall – Pool/Getty Images) /

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea goes head to head with Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United. Chelsea remains unbeaten in the last eight games and comes off a huge victory against Atletico Madrid. Thiago Silva remains on the sidelines as the Blues patiently wait for his return. United is suffering from its own injury woes as some of their key players are injured as well. Here’s a look at the predicted XI!

Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal

Edouard Mendy continues to be Chelsea’s no.1 and he will start the important game against Manchester United. The towering goalkeeper had some nervy moments against Atletico Madrid as he almost gave the ball away on a couple of occasions due to a poor touch in his own box. Other than that, he was merely a spectator as Atletico Madrid decided to defend deeper than Burnley and couldn’t muster a single shot on target. Hence, Mendy didn’t have to make any saves at all.

Manchester United will present a different sort of challenge though. Bruno Fernandes has had a gargantuan impact on the team since his arrival and he seems inevitable at the moment. Mendy could be rather busy at Stamford Bridge and will need to be attentive as even one moment of individual brilliance could be enough to breach Chelsea’s defense.

Cesar Azpilicueta (No. 28) Centerback, Spain

Cesar Azpilicueta has quietly been one of Chelsea’s best performers in the past month. He has adapted seamlessly into his new role and he was influential against Atletico as well. Azpilicueta played a vital role in keeping Atletico’s forwards at bay and managed to do so with four clearances, two tackles, and won all of his aerial duels. At the beginning of the season, fans seemed to forget about Azpilicueta. However, the captain has returned to the side and reminded the world about Chelsea’s ironman, Azpilicueta. Against Manchester United, Azpilicueta will have to handle the pacy Marcus Rashford and this will be quite an interesting duel!

Andreas Christensen (No.4) Centerback, Denmark

Andreas Christensen has done really well in the absence of Thiago Silva and has managed to keep most forwards quiet. The Dane has been solid in the middle of the three CBs, and dominated Luis Suarez against Atletico in that position. With Thiago Silva out for the game against Manchester United, Christensen will get another opportunity to stake his claim for a starting position in the team. If Christensen can continue to perform like this, he will surely be considered as a starter when Silva returns!

Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Centerback, Germany

Antonio Rudiger has started all Premier League games under Tuchel. He enjoys the confidence of the manager and has been pretty decent as well. Kurt Zouma has started only one game in the Premier League and ended up making a mistake to concede the equalizer. It is safe to say that Rudiger’s spot in the starting eleven is locked in at the moment. However, as soon as Thiago Silva returns, things could get very interesting as Christensen is now knocking on Tuchel’s door for a spot in his best lineup. It will be interesting to see how Rudiger manages to contain Bruno Fernandes.

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