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Chelsea at Zenit St. Petersburg predicted XI: 3-4-2-1 with heavy rotation

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea's Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Chelsea and Zenit St Petersburg at Stamford Bridge in London on September 14, 2021. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Chelsea and Zenit St Petersburg at Stamford Bridge in London on September 14, 2021. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 29: Ross Barkley of Chelsea runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Weston McKennie of Juventus during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Juventus and Chelsea FC at the Juventus Stadium on September 29, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 29: Ross Barkley of Chelsea runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Weston McKennie of Juventus during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Juventus and Chelsea FC at the Juventus Stadium on September 29, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James may have to play this game because there isn’t really anyone else to play in this position. James has played well in the Champions League this season, as well as the Premier League. Most recently, he was spectacular in the last UCL game Chelsea played. He scored, created three chances and won nine out of 14 duels he contested. He completed three out of eight crosses he attempted (38 percent), which is a fairly high proportion of crosses to complete.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (No. 12) Central midfielder, England

There’s been a divide in the evaluation of Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s performances as of late. Some people say he’s been good, some say he’s been horrible, some have blamed his teammates for his perceived subpar performances. In reality, he’s been OK. He has not done enough to dislodge those who have been starting ahead of him permanently, but he has done enough to put himself into the mix for rotation, which is a good thing as Chelsea will be playing a lot of games in the coming weeks.

Ross Barkley (No. 18) Central midfielder, England

Ross Barkley has played very well in the games he has played for Chelsea this season. Many will remember his impact off the bench in the Premier League game against Southampton. Barkley most recently played against Burnley in a 1-1 draw, where he was one of Chelsea’s best players. He has made a case for himself to be in contention for rotation, more so now that there are so many injuries to central midfielders. This is an opportunity for Barkley to make a case to play a bigger role in more important games going forward, but he would really need to put up a stellar performance in this contest for that to happen.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (No. 20) Left wingback, England

Chelsea is likely to control enough of the ball that it shouldn’t matter who starts at left wingback. Callum Hudson-Odoi was commendable defensively against West Ham, not because he was particularly effective, but because he was in position to cover for Antonio Rudiger whenever the German got carried away and found himself high up the pitch in key defensive moments. Hudson-Odoi’s positioning was on point, though he wasn’t particularly a match for Michail Antonio on that flank for obvious reasons, but 70 percent of defending is good positioning. Chelsea cannot afford to risk Marcos Alonso’s fitness in a fairly insignificant game as he’s the only left wingback on the roster right now and will be needed against Leeds.

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