in

How Chelsea could line-up for crucial Champions League clash with Salzburg as Potter confirms Kalidou Koulibaly is OUT


CHELSEA will be without Kalidou Koulibaly for their huge Champions League clash away at RB Salzburg on Tuesday evening.

The Blues currently sit one point above the Austrian outfit heading into their final two matches in Group E.

Kalidou Koulibaly will miss Tuesday’s huge Champions League clash with SalzburgCredit: Getty
How SunSport thinks Chelsea will line up on Tuesday night

And Graham Potter will be keen to go into his side’s last match at home to Dinamo Zagreb having already qualified for the last 16.

But they will have to do so without summer signing Koulibaly as Potter confirmed the centre-back will remain sidelined through injury.

The Senegalese defender missed the draw with Manchester United because of a knee problem.

And Potter provided an update on Monday, saying: “It’s not too serious but this game was too soon for him.

READ MORE ON CHELSEA

“We’re hoping to get him back on the grass Wednesday or Thursday.”

With Wesley Fofana also out, it leaves Potter with a decision to make whether to will line up with a back three or four.

They started with a three against Manchester United but Potter substituted Marc Cucurella for Mateo Kovacic before half-time as Chelsea changed their shape.

And it means they could play a couple of different ways against Salzburg.

Most read in Football

FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS

Another way Chelsea could choose to line up against the Austrian side

Either they line up with a three of Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva, with Ben Chilwell and either Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Cesar Azpilicueta as the wingbacks.

That would then see Kovacic and Jorginho pair up in the midfield behind a likely front three of Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

But a more likely scenario is that Potter goes with a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Cucurella and Azpilicueta flanking Silva and Chalobah at the back.

They could then have Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek in front of the defence, with Sterling, Mount and Kai Havertz behind Aubameyang.


Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk


Tagcloud:

Red Bull’s constructors’ title was fitting tribute to Mateschitz but now there are questions about the future

Man Utd and Liverpool have 55 HOURS less rest than Prem Big Six rivals as horror Xmas fixtures schedule revealed