Chelsea will look to put the heartbreaking Carabao Cup final defeat behind them when they entertain Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday evening.
While the Pensioners have been hugely underwhelming in the Premier League, they had an opportunity to win the first trophy of the English domestic season on Sunday. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium, with skipper Virgil van Dijk scoring the winner in extra time.
The Argentinean tactician will be desperate to see a rousing response from his boys in the FA Cup fixture against Leeds United, who head to West London off the back of a 3-1 win over Leicester City in the Championship.
Chelsea Team News
Mauricio Pochettino confirmed during his pre-match presser on Tuesday that Christopher Nkunku will miss the FA Cup encounter against Leeds due to an injury. The French attacker could miss up to three to four weeks with a fresh problem, joining the likes of Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Leslie Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka and Benoit Badiashile on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella are doubts for the midweek cup game.
Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Leeds United (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Robert Sanchez was back in the Chelsea squad for the Carabao Cup final and will be hoping to start here. However, Mauricio Pochettino could stick with Djordje Petrovic in goal.
Defence
The Chelsea boss will go ahead with a 4-2-3-1 formation, where a couple of alterations could be seen in defence. Trevoh Chalobah, who came on as a substitute against Liverpool on Sunday, may get the nod to partner Axel Disasi in central defence.
A rest for Ben Chilwell is imperative at this stage, which will see Levi Colwill operate at left-back and Alfie Gilchrist come into the side on the opposite side of the defence.
Midfield
Not much choice for rotation in the midfield unit due to injuries, meaning Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will form the double pivot for the Blues yet again. Having failed to control the game for large parts on Sunday, the South American duo will be raring to do better against Leeds.
Ahead of them, Conor Gallagher—who was Chelsea’s best player in the Carabao Cup final—will try unlocking Leeds’ rigid defence from the No.10 role.
Attack
Raheem Sterling was substituted early in the second half of the Carabao Cup final after failing to make an impact, so the England international will be relatively fresher than some of his teammates to start the game in midweek. He possibly retains his spot on the left wing, with Noni Madueke hoping to enjoy a productive night from the right.
The No.9 slot will be occupied by Nicolas Jackson, with Mykhaylo Mudryk coming off the bench once again. This means Cole Palmer gets a much-needed rest after playing relentlessly for Chelsea.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
