Chelsea fans wanted a reaction against Southampton following the embarrassment their side suffered at the hands of Real Madrid. Well, nothing says reaction like a 6-0 away win against a team in very good form. This result means nothing if the Blues don’t approach the second leg against Los Blancos with the same energy, sharpness and ruthlessness. Chelsea has had a rough past few games and the team really needed the win against Southampton. The Blues will now travel to the Spanish capital to try and salvage their pride and who knows, maybe the tie.
Here is who The Pride of London believes Thomas Tuchel will start in order to give his side the opportunity to get back into the tie on Tuesday evening:
Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal
Edouard Mendy is on his way to redeeming himself. He only had one save to make against Saints, which he did brilliantly. However, his communication with his defenders and command of his box will also build his confidence back up. Mendy was in danger of being dropped before the Southampton game because, at the end of the day, selection is by merit. There are only so many sub-par performances a player can produce before the manager is forced to drop him. Mendy starts though because of his solid performance at the weekend.
Cesar Azpilicueta (No. 28) Right centerback, Spain
If Tuchel’s comments were anything to go by, he may be regretting playing Andreas Christensen at right centerback against Real Madrid in the first leg. Trevoh Chalobah is not better at picking up runs behind him, so Cesar Azpilicueta is likely to start here. Christensen got the nod again at right centerback at Southampton, but this is largely due to the fact the captain tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the trip to St. Mary’s. He is back with the team in his home country, so one would expect him to get the starting nod if he’s fully fit and ready to go again.
Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil
Chelsea’s defense had an easy game against Southampton but when the back line was called upon, it performed the tasks required of it. Thiago Silva’s distribution was especially impeccable, as usual, against Saints. The Brazilian will still be key to how Chelsea defends against Real Madrid, though he still needs to be alert and not let runners run past him at will. Silva will be looking to redeem himself after a sub-par outing last time out in the Champions League.
Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Left centerback, Germany
Antonio Rudiger was excellent against Southampton. He led the team in tackles and won an impressive seven out of 10 duels. He needs to make sure he takes this sharpness to the Santiago Bernabeu so he can help give his side a chance in the tie.