Chelsea takes on Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The first leg will be played in the National Arena in Bucharest Romania. Despite the ground being neutral, Chelsea will represent the visiting team, with away goals still at play.
The Blues are the last team to beat Atletico Madrid in an away game in European competition and will be hoping for a similar outcome this time around. (SkySports)
Team News
Thomas Tuchel reported in his press conference that Thiago Silva is still unavailable for selection. However, the likes of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz are available. As a result, Chelsea now have a plethora of attacking options to choose from for the upcoming match. (chelseafc.com)
Predicted XI
Edouard Mendy keeps his place in goal. Tuchel confirmed the Senegalese stopper as Chelsea’s number one in net, and we can expect Mendy to be on show this Tuesday night.
In defence, Andreas Christensen will play as the central defender in a back three. Alongside the Dane will be Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta. Of course, there is the possibility that Tuchel may switch to a back four, but he is unlikely to do so in such circumstances. Tuchel seems to believe more in the player’s output on the pitch rather than the system itself.
Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi will occupy the left and right wing-back positions. Alonso was poor against Southampton at the weekend and his place is under serious threat. Hudson-Odoi was likely rested for the match against Atletico Madrid. Not to mention, we probably could have done with him staying on the field a little longer against the Saints, as he was one of the few bright spots in a sorry performance from the Blues.
N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic will keep their places as the two holding midfielders. N’Golo Kante was back to his best against Southampton – giving us a timely reminder that he is one of our most important players. Kovacic on the other hand wasn’t quite at his best, but his recent performances show us that he oozes class when in form.
Playing behind the striker will be Mason Mount and Timo Werner. Mount was phenomenal against Southampton. He was everything for us, and at the moment he is undroppable on the other hand Werner is set to keep his spot, the German’s speed and ability could be key to exploiting La Liga’s side defence.
Playing up top will be Olivier Giroud. The French forward has plenty of experience playing in big games. There won’t be many chances for either side and someone like Giroud has the experience and composure to put those chances away.
Full Predicted XI
Mendy
Azpi, Christensen, Rudiger
Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell
Mount, Werner
Giroud