Chelsea were eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in midweek following a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge and the Blues now look certain to miss out on European football next year, which is a damning indictment to what a poor season it has been for the Premier League champions this term.
Nonetheless, Chelsea still have the FA Cup to contest and manager Guus Hiddink will most certainly be keen on guiding the Blues to another triumph in the competition in order to give the club faithful something to smile about in what has been a difficult campaign.
Doing so will be easier said than done though and Chelsea are now faced with a very tough Quarter Final clash this weekend when they square off against Everton and one can be sure that the Blues will need to put in a much improved performance on the day.
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois has featured in all competitions since the appointment of Hiddink as manager and the Belgian is certain to be starting this weekend against Everton.
Given Everton’s fire power in attack, one can be sure that Courtois will be busy on the day and will need to put in a strong performance in order to guide the Blues to victory.
Defence
John Terry and Kurt Zouma remain ruled out which means that the duo of Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic will continue in the starting lineup.
Cesar Azpilicueta will be starting on the right hand side of the defence and it will be interesting to see who will be deployed on the left. Kenedy performed extremely well against Paris Saint-Germain and could retain his place in the lineup but Abdul Baba Rahman will also be in contention.
Midfield
While the duo of John Obi Mikel and Cesc Fabregas did not have much impact during the clash against PSG, they look set to start in midfield this weekend. That said, Nemanja Matic could also feature if Hiddink decides to rotate things around.
Pedro did not enjoy the best of games against PSG but with Eden Hazard likely to miss out due to injury, the Spaniard should keep his place in the lineup as Oscar is set to come in for the injured Belgian. Willian remains the bright spark for Chelsea and he will be key if the Blues are to claim a victory on the day.
Attack
Diego Costa was forced off against PSG due to injury and it looks like youngster Bertrand Traore could be handed a start on the day in the place of the Spaniard.
Established names such as Loic Remy and Alexandre Pato also remain available though and it will be interesting to see which striker Hiddink goes with to lead the line.
(4-2-3-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
