CHELSEA take on Krasnodar on Wednesday evening in the second match of their Champions League campaign.
And Frank Lampard has a selection conundrum on his hands.
How Chelsea could line-up for their game vs Krasnodar
Having only managed a draw at home to Sevilla in the opener, the Blues will desperately want a win in Russia.
However, with a congested fixture schedule and a nightmare journey to Russia and back, Lampard could opt to rotate his stars.
Should Lampard pick his strongest XI, he only has Kepa Arrizabalaga (injury) and Marcos Alonso (suspension) missing from his potential starters.
That means Edouard Mendy, almost certainly now his first choice anyway, will likely start ahead of Willy Caballero.
In defence, Reece James, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Ben Chilwell comprise Lampard’s strongest back-four.
Jorginho and N’Golo Kante would likely continue their midfield pivot in the 4-2-3-1 system.
Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner would complete the team in a dangerous-looking front-four.
However, Chelsea could opt to play the 3-4-3 / 5-2-3 formation they rolled out for the 0-0 draw with Manchester United at the weekend.
Another way Lampard could send out his team vs Krasnodar
In that scenario, Silva would likely be joined by Cesar Azpilicueta and one of Zouma, Andreas Christensen or forgotten-man Fikayo Tomori.
In midfield Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic could push Kante or Jorginho for a start with plenty of defensive cover behind them.
Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Olivier Giroud will also be battling it out for a spot in the team in a new-look attack.
Chelsea take on Krasnodar on Wednesday October 28, with kick-off at 5.55pm.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
