GdS: De Ketelaere will play a crucial role vs. Chelsea with natural wingers absent | OneFootball

With another injury crisis for Stefano Pioli to battle, the role of his established ‘first choice’ players becomes even more crucial, and that applies in particular to Charles De Ketelaere.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Rade Krunic should start as the right winger against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night because Alexis Saelemaekers and Junior Messias are both out injured.

The Bosnian is expected to be moved out as opposed to De Ketelaere, even though playing the Belgian on the right – as he has done before at Club Brugge – would mean then fielding Krunic or Brahim Diaz as a more natural central attacking midfielder.

With Brahim, the trio behind Olivier Giroud would be of an excellent technical level, given Leao’s presence on the left. However, Pioli doesn’t like to lose balance in his side so playing CDK plus Diaz is unlikely.

However, the starting position of De Ketelaere will in any case be an interesting theme. If he remained in the centre with Krunic at his side, his movements would change, as had already happened against Napoli when Leao was disqualified and Krunic was on the left.

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