Chelsea Predicted XI To Face Brighton
Frank Lampard hasn’t exactly enjoyed the best of starts in his second stint as Chelsea manager, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers and then to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in midweek.
A home tie against in-form Brighton and Hove Albion arguably comes at the wrong time for the interim boss, with the south coast side enjoying a wonderful season as they head into the weekend in seventh place in the Premier League table, four spaces above the Blues.
Madrid were dominant against the Stamford Bridge outfit and Lampard will almost certainly make changes ahead of the match today.
Centre-back Kalidou Koulialy will miss the next two matches due to injury and this means Lampard could revert his side from playing three at the back as he did against Madrid, to the four that he deployed against Wolves.
We at Football FanCast predict the Chelsea starting XI that will be looking to secure a crucial three points at Stamford Bridge.
What will Chelsea’s starting XI look like against Brighton?
4-3-3 – Kepa; James, Fofana, Badiashile, Chilwell; Fernandez, Mount, Kovacic; Sterling, Havertz, Felix
Kepa will retain his spot in the Chelsea goal and will be looking to keep his first clean sheet since the 0-0 draw against Liverpool.
Lampard will change the formation and utilise a back four against Brighton today due to Koulibaly’s absence. Reece James and Ben Chilwell will operate off the flanks, and Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile will form the partnership in the heart of the defence.
Despite N’Golo Kante returning in recent weeks, the “world-class” star – as dubbed by Lampard – will be given a rest this afternoon in the hope he can return against Madrid, with Mason Mount coming in for the Frenchman. The £80k-per-week star came off the bench against the La Liga side in midweek and having been dubbed a “mad player” by Rio Ferdinand, he will be hoping to impress from the start. Mateo Kovacic will complete the midfield trio.
Raheem Sterling will start on the right wing and Joao Felix will operate on the left as they will both be looking to add to their meagre tallies so far this term. Kai Havertz will once again be deployed through the middle, and having gone three league matches without a goal, today would be the perfect time to score the first goal of Lampard’s second spell.
Getting three points is a necessity for Chelsea, and Brighton will be sure to provide an extremely tough challenge.