25-year-old forced to play out of position as Tuchel recalls £45m man: Chelsea predicted XI vs Lille

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Chelsea restart their defence of the Champions League tomorrow evening at Stamford Bridge against Lille.

Thomas Tuchel’s men secured their ticket to the knockout stage as runners up to Juventus in the group.

Of all the first-place sides they could’ve faced, arguably the Blues pulled the easiest draw of the lot.

Lille are currently floundering below mid-table in Ligue 1, a major fall from grace following their title triumph last season.

However, Chelsea simply cannot underestimate their French guests on Tuesday.

Hence why we believe Tuchel will go all out on his line-up to ensure a comfortable reverse fixture next month.

Here’s how we think the European champions are going to line up:

Defence

Despite underperforming again, the Blues managed to keep a clean sheet away to Crystal Palace last weekend, so a reshuffled rear-guard is unlikely.

Edouard Mendy will undoubtedly stay put between the sticks.

Malang Sarr started Saturday’s game on the left of a back four.

Whilst we think Tuchel might stick with the same formation, we anticipate Marcos Alonso to return, just for that added Champions League experience.

Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva continue their centre-back partnership, meaning Andreas Christensen might be asked to feature at right-back again.

The 25-year-old played in the rather unfamiliar position at Selhurst Park and admitted after the game that he felt ‘awkward’ being deployed there.

Yet, with Cesar Azpilicueta a doubt for the Lille contest, Christensen may be needed to fill in once more.

Midfield

Tuchel’s previous midfield consisted of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho. On this occasion, we are going to throw Mateo Kovacic into the mix for added security.

Attack

With Kovacic’s introduction, expect Christian Pulisic to drop out after failing to impress in his last outing.

Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea’s match-winner against Palace, deserves to maintain his good run in the side.

Kai Havertz also holds onto his spot in the XI.

Meanwhile, Tuchel could make a huge call by dropping Romelu Lukaku in place of Timo Werner up front.

Lukaku’s two touches in the first half at Selhurst Park were extremely well documented, leaving the manager to answer questions about his struggling striker.

“No. No, it’s not about the system,” he bluntly said post-match.

Replacing one misfiring centre-forward with another might raise a few eyebrows, but Werner certainly gives Chelsea a different offensive dynamic.

The £45m (Sky Sports) arrival from RB Leipzig offers the ability to stretch defences, something Lukaku cannot provide.

Chelsea predicted XI vs Lille: Mendy; Alonso, Silva, Rudiger, Christensen; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Ziyech, Havertz, Werner

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