- March 15, 2022
- Olaoluwa Nwobodo
Chelsea fans would have seen Real Madrid pull off an incredible if unsurprising comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. While Chelsea is in the driving seat of this tie, an upset is never out of the question, but who does Tuchel give the nod to see of Lille in this Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper: Mendy (who else?)
Edouard Mendy definitely starts this one. Arrizabalaga was good throughout the time Mendy was away on African Cup of Nation (AFCON) duty but Mendy is back and he is on course to match, if not break the clean sheet record he set in his maiden Champions League season.
Defenders: Thiago Silva returns to the lineup
Thomas Tuchel should be expected to return Thiago Silva to the lineup after being left out against Newcastle. Everything goes through Silva and the Blues play out from the back more comfortably when he’s in the side. Christensen has been playing well recently and he most likely starts at right centerback. Chalobah was a bit shaky in the Newcastle game, getting away with a foul on Bruno Guimaraes. Chalobah also is the most likely to sit when most centerbacks are fit. Antonio Rudiger, as usual, starts on the left side of the three centerbacks. Chelsea could use his distribution against Lille.
The defense should likely prepare for a period in the game where Lille throws everything at them. That might be at the beginning of the game if they decide to try to get an early goal to unsettle the Chelsea players, or it could be from the 70th minute if they’re still losing and they decide that they don’t have much to lose. Regardless of the time, the Blues have to withstand that spell without conceding, as cutting the 2 goal advantage would do wonders for the confidence of the Lille players.
Midfielders and wingbacks: Ziyech-Alonso wingback combination
Depending on who you ask, Ziyech played right wingback against Newcastle and played it well too. He was solid defensively and still did his thing going forward. Reece James is still out with injury and it’s not likely that Tuchel does the Callum Hudson-Odoi at wingback thing again so Ziyech likely starts at right wingback. N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic have formed a strong partnership in the middle of the park. Both players have at least a 92% passing accuracy in the UEFA Champions League this season. Marcos Alonso also returns to the lineup for obvious reasons as he should have recovered from COVID by now.
The midfield would be tasked with keeping a tight grip on that game. The wingbacks would have to be alert defensively. Alonso was getting caught out with balls over the top against Lille in the first leg and that’s not something the Blues can afford to allow in this game.
Forwards: Kai Havertz AND Romelu Lukaku
It is likely that Tuchel goes with both Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz for this one, though they’re not likely to play strictly as a two-striker strike partnership. Havertz likely plays as the right-winger, or right attacking midfielder, while Lukaku plays as the center forward. Havertz and Lukaku both have 13 goals in all competitions for Chelsea this season. Christian Pulisic is likely to come in as the left winger. Hudson-Odoi leads Chelsea in chances created per game in the Champions League this season. Hudson-Odoi has about two perfect crosses in him in every game, in fact, he has assisted Lukaku twice with crosses already this season.
Chelsea would want to get a goal as early as possible because the longer it takes for Chelsea to score in this game, the more uneasy the players will get. Chelsea has a game this weekend, and the last thing the Blues need is this game going to extra time, this means the Blues have to put this game to bed as quickly as possible.
Prediction: Mendy, Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, Ziyech, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso, Havertz, Lukaku, Pulisic