Chelsea will be hoping for a far better outing against Bayern Munich on Wednesday than their last meeting against them in the Champions League, with the only remaining player from that side being captain Reece James.
James looks likely to start after being benched for the West London derby against Brentford, off the back of a successful international break.
Enzo Maresca admitted James was not ready to start after featuring twice from the off for England, however the magnitude of a game against Bayern in the Champions League means the boss will be looking to start his best possible side.
The Blues have plenty of history with the Bundesliga giants in this competition, however fans will likely be looking to put their last meeting out of their memories.
What Frank Lampard said about Reece James last time Chelsea played Bayern Munich
Chelsea were beaten 7-1 on aggregate, with the second leg taking place around six months after the first due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
James, who was only 20 at the time, started the game at right-back, up against Ivan Perisic, as well as high-flying full-back Alphonso Davies.
Despite the result, manager at the time, Frank Lampard, praised James for his mature performance in difficult circumstances.
He said to Football London: “A good exercise for us today. Reece James gave an incredible individual performance. I can see where I want us to go. We conceded disappointing goals from individual errors. We’ll be back.”
The last Chelsea XI to face Bayern Munich
James is the only first team player still at the club who featured against Bayern last time round, with the team being a real blast from the past.
Current coach Willy Caballero started the game in goal, with James, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Emerson making up the back four.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount played in the wide midfield roles, with N’golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic in the heart of midfield.
Ross Barkley occupied a role just off the striker, who on this day was Tammy Abraham. The Cobham graduate scored Chelsea’s only goal of the tie.
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