Mendy And Azpilicueta To Start | Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Manchester United | OneFootball

Premier League giants Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways in the league when they travel to Old Trafford to take on a high-flying Manchester United side this weekend. The Red Devils are coming into this fixture on the back of an inspired 2-1 win against European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, where a late goal from Marcus Rashford gave them an all-important win. The win handed United a much needed three points in the competition, as they sit in second place behind Leipzig, in what many considered to be the group of death.

Chelsea, on the other hand, were unable to kick their Champions League campaign off in a positive manner, as they succumbed to a frustrating 0-0 goalless draw against last season’s Europa League winners Sevilla. The La Liga side worked their absolute socks off to ensure that the obvious threat of the expensive Chelsea attack-line was neutralised, but the Blues can take pride in the fact that they kept a clean-sheet. Although there are positives to be drawn, if Chelsea put in a similar performance to the one they did against Southampton on the weekend, they could then be up for a real walloping by Manchester United.

Team News

Frank Lampard’s men are pretty much back to being a full-strength squad again, as Edouard Mendy made a premature return to the eleven in the midweek clash. His return will be of utmost importance for the Blues, as Kepa Arrizabalaga was largely to blame for one of the Saints’ goals on the weekend. The likes of Ben Chilwell, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are all now available for selection. The only absentee from the Blues’ roster at this point in time is promising young Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour, who isn’t expected to return in time for this clash.

Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Manchester United:

Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Manchester United

Defence

With various questions being asked about the actual quality and general mindset of Kepa Arrizabalaga, there is almost no chance of the Spaniard starting this big league match. Edouard Mendy is hence expected to retain his place in between the sticks, with Lampard likely to make just one change to his entire defence line. Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta could be brought back into the eleven in place of Reece James, as defensive solidity will be crucial in the game against United. Alongside the Spaniard, expect the usual centre-half duo of Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva, with English speedster Ben Chilwell taking up the left-back role.

Midfield

This is the area where Frank Lampard can be expected to make a formation change, as the Blues could look to try and counter United by taking control of the midfield. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have started the recent fixtures as the two man pivot, but this tie could see Mateo Kovacic entering the fray as well. Jorginho is likely to continue as the lone pivot in front of the defence-line, with Kante being pushed up to a slightly more advanced role than his usual one. Mateo Kovacic’s cameo against Sevilla was impressive, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him starting the tie as well.

Attack

With the abysmal performance that Mason Mount put in during the game against Sevilla, fans have been calling for the Englishman to be dropped. Expect Lampard to succumb to those calls and leave the youngster on the bench for this clash. This means that Chelsea could instead start with a three-man attack-line, consisting of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz on either flank. As has been the trend over recent fixtures, German speedster Timo Werner is likely to lead the line ahead of both Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud.