Chelsea at Manchester City predicted XI: 3-4-1-2 to exact revenge?
Kai Havertz (No. 29) Right forward, Germany
Romelu Lukaku played 90 minutes against Spurs on Wednesday, which may be an indication he’s not going to start against Manchester City. Havertz was underwhelming in his last showing but he played well against Tottenham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal. His composure in possession will be key to helping the Blues retain possession against the Citizens, as Chelsea was lacking basic ball retention the last time it faced Pep Guardiola’s men.
Mason Mount (No. 19) Central attacking midfielder, England
Mason Mount was underwhelming in his last match for the Blues. He won only two of his seven duels and completed one out of 10 crosses. He did create two chances, but overall it wasn’t a great night for him, and he was subbed off in the 66′ as a result. Mount was even worse in the first leg of the semifinal tie. If anything, Mount shows that Chelsea crosses a lot anyway, regardless of whether Ziyech is on the pitch or not.
His decision making has improved considerably, but he should be creating far more than he is with the minutes he’s getting. Mount’s making up for it with goals and assists though. He leads all Chelsea players is several metrics, including expected goals, goals, assists, big chances created and expected assists. He’s brilliant.
Timo Werner (No. 20) Left forward, Germany
Timo Werner was Chelsea’s best striker against Spurs in the second leg of the EFL semifinal. It is evident what he brings to the side, and the key to Lukaku firing might just be getting the best out of Werner, ironically enough. Werner always dictates the movement of the opposition. He was a nuisance to the Spurs defenders as he kept running into areas he couldn’t be ignored, making sure that someone always had to follow him. Werner will be particularly useful against Manchester City as it plays a high line and the Blues will need to stretch the defense whenever possible.
Next. Chelsea would be smart to bring in Barcelona right back Sergino Dest. dark
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