Chelsea suffered their first loss under manager Guus Hiddink following the 2-1 defeat at the hands of French side Paris Saint Germain in the first leg of the Round of 16 Champions League encounter on Tuesday night.
Despite the defeat though, the away goal gives Chelsea a lot of encouragement and the Blues will not be overly disappointed regarding the result.
Now Chelsea prepare to focus their attention to another cup competition when they square off against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge and one can be sure that Hiddink’s men will be going all out to claim a victory on the night as they may come up before an under strength City side.
Here is a strongest possible lineup for Chelsea on the night –
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois started in the 5-1 victory over MK Dons in the previous round of the FA Cup and it is very likely that the Belgian will keep his place in the starting lineup for the clash against City this weekend, meaning that Asmir Begovic will be overlooked once again.
Defence
John Terry is still out with injury which means that the duo of Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic will be continuing their partnership at the heart of the defence for Chelsea while the full back positions are likely to be occupied by the duo of Cesar Azpilicueta and Abdul Baba Rahman.
The likes of Kenedy and Ola Aina also remain options to choose from for Hiddink but it is likely that the youngsters will only earn a place on the bench during the clash.
Midfield
The duo of John Obi Mikel and Cesc Fabregas are expected to be handed a rest for the clash which means that Nemanja Matic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be taking their place at the middle of the park.
Oscar is also expected to start in the place of Willian while the wide positions should be occupied by the inconsistent Pedro and Eden Hazard.
Attack
The match could be the perfect time to unleash new signing Alexandre Pato but with the Brazilian having not featured at all so far for the Blues, it is likely that either Diego Costa or Loic Remy will be leading the line on the day.
(4-5-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
