Thomas Tuchel’s next team selection will be one of the most important of his career, especially if you are of a Chelsea persuasion.
Today is the day that the Blues will walk out alongside Manchester City to the famous Champions League anthem.
An all-English showdown held in Porto; the stage is set for an absolute classic encounter between the Premier League representatives.
But before the pair can pit their wits against one another, there is the small matter of selecting the starting XI’s.
Tuchel’s choices are likely to be more straight forward than Pep Guardiola’s, as his strongest side has begun to take shape in the past months.
Defence
Edouard Mendy’s apparent recovery from the injury sustained in last Sunday’s league loss to Aston Villa means he comes back in goal.
In front of him, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Reece James.
The latter has spent the past few matches playing as a centre-half, with Cesar Azpilicueta featuring at wing-back.
This may remain the same as Tuchel looks for consistency heading into the City clash.
Chelsea loses some of their attacking impetus with the skipper out wide, but James does provide sturdy cover in defence.
Midfield
At left-wing is Ben Chilwell, with Jorginho and the returning N’Golo Kante in between them as the midfield pair.
Kante was absent for the Villa loss after picking up a minor hamstring problem at home to Leicester City.
Thankfully, the £30m (BBC Sport) engine looks back to full health and could be a crucial cog in Chelsea’s conquest.
Attack
No changes are made to the front line, as Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic all keep their place from the Villa match.
Depending on the score, expect summer signing duo Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech to appear at some point from the bench.
Chelsea’s Champions League final predicted XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell; Mount, Werner, Pulisic.
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