Chelsea’s three match winning run in all competitions was brought to an end following a 1-1 draw against Stoke City during the weekend and manager Guus Hiddink would have been left a bit disappointed after his side squandered the lead by the concession of a very late goal.
Nonetheless, Chelsea are in a very good run of form at the moment and they should head into the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash second leg against Saint-Germain with a quiet sense of confidence that they can overturn the deficit from the first leg.
Here is the strongest possible Chelsea lineup for the clash against Paris Saint Germain –
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois put in a decent performance during the 1-1 draw against Stoke but the goalkeeper has not kept a clean sheet in his last seven consecutive matches, which will be a cause for concern.
Chelsea absolutely cannot afford to concede against PSG on Wednesday night and one can be sure that the Belgian international will have to put in a top performance in order to stop the dangerous attack of the French champions.
Defence
John Terry remains ruled out for Chelsea which means that the central defensive duo of Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic will continue at the heart of the backline while Cesar Azpilicueta is set to retain his place at right back.
Kenedy is still struggling with a groin injury and if the Brazilian youngster is not fit in time to feature, expect Abdul Baba Rahman to occupy the left back position on the night.
Midfield
Cesc Fabregas was handed a rest in the weekend clash against Stoke and it looks certain that the Spaniard will return to the lineup at the expense of Nemanja Matic.
John Obi Mikel is set to partner Fabregas at the middle of the park while Oscar will be occupying the attacking role in midfield as Pedro remains ruled out.
Willian and Eden Hazard will be the players deployed in the wide positions and the duo will most certainly have to play very well in order for Chelsea to stand a chance of overturning the deficit.
Attack
Bertrand Traore performed wonderfully well in his first ever Premier League start by finding the back of the net against Stoke City during the weekend.
With Diego Costa available once again though, the Spaniard is expected to start ahead of the youngster and he will need to have a positive impact on the night.
(4-5-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
