Chelsea welcome their perceived toughest opponent to Stamford Bridge on Matchday three of the UEFA Champions League.
The problem is that they are yet to secure a win, and they’ve played against Dinamo Zagreb and RB Salzburg before this. Graham Potter’s men need a win and they need it badly. AC Milan sits top of the UCL group and Chelsea sits bottom. The Blues have no margin of error anymore in the group stage, here’s who the Pride of London thinks will start this game.
Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea (No. 1) Goalkeeper, Spain
Arrizabalaga played well against Crystal Palace despite not getting a clean sheet. He’d continue to start, considering that Edouard Mendy is likely not yet fit. Whether he starts when Mendy is fit or not, no one can say yet. CFC has not kept a clean sheet with Arrizabalaga this season so far, but it would be even more difficult to secure a clean sheet in this game.
Wesley Fofana (No. 33) Right centerback, France
Fofana was solid against Palace for the most part, but he had some lapses in concentration at several points, especially the sequence of play leading up to Palace taking the lead. He seemed to be running out of the defensive line a lot, whether that’s by design, no one knows. He made four interceptions and six recoveries in that game.
Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil
Silva was also very good, but what he was doing in the Eagles’ 18-yard box in open play to receive the long ball from Reece James and head it to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score the equalizer, we’d never know. He made five clearances, nine recoveries, and 15 passes into the final third. He completed a whopping 15/19 long balls.
Ben Chilwell (No. 21) Left centerback, England
Chilwell played as a left back in the Palace game, after Chelsea confirmed a late injury to Marc Cucurella. He made five passes into the final third, won the most duels in the game, and despite not being tall, won all five of the aerial duels he contested.
Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England
James could’ve done much better in the Palace game. He played 11 passes into the final third and created two chances. He also made nine recoveries. James has looked good in the Champions League this season, though he has created just one chance and zero big chances in the competition so far.
Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Right central midfielder, Croatia
Kovacic was poor again against Palace. He won 0/8 duels, committed four fouls, and got dispossessed three times. He did play 14 passes into the final third and had an 88% passing accuracy. He may not get that many more chances in the starting lineup if he doesn’t buckle up.
Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy
Jorginho was equally poor against Crystal Palace and was hooked off after 56 minutes. Jorginho’s replacement, Ruben Loftus-Cheek didn’t really look better, granted he only got 34 minutes. He is important to how Chelsea builds up though, so the Blues cannot do without him for now.
Conor Gallagher (No. 23) Left central midfielder, England
Gallagher scored the winner for Chelsea against Palace at a time when Chelsea needed something special to punch ahead, and special it was. His performance in the last game may be and should be enough to get him a start over Mason Mount in the AC Milan game.
Raheem Sterling (No. 17) Left wide midfielder, England
Sterling created the most chances in the match, and had a shot on target, with only two other players registering shots on target. He attempted no dribbles, which may be a good thing considering he hasn’t been that successful in them this season. Sterling was also underwhelming in this game.
Kai Havertz (No. 29) Center forward, Germany
Havertz’s work rate was commendable against Palace, though there was little else about his game that day that was commendable.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (No. 9) Center forward, Gabon
Aubameyang showed fans and teammates why they should be trying to find him more with passes in the penalty area. He pulled out a top-class finish for the equalizer, registering his first goal in blue. Chelsea has not had much success with center forwards in the last few years, but if we created more chances per game for Aubameyang, he may be the one that will eventually not be considered a total failure when his CFC career is talked about in the near or distant future.