After a shock defeat at home to relegation-threatened West Brom, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea face Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals. The loss on Saturday also marked the end of Tuchel’s unbeaten run as Chelsea manager after a whopping fourteen games. Chelsea were impressive over the two legs in the previous round against Atletico Madrid and will look to overcome Porto in a similar fashion.
Despite knocking out Juventus, Porto will be second-favourites against a Chelsea side that has been near flawless at the back under Tuchel. It will be a test of character for the young Chelsea squad to bounce back from that thrashing defeat on Saturday. Thiago Silva had yet another game to forget against the Baggies as he got sent off before the half-hour mark on his return.
Christian Pulisic and N’golo Kante are both doubtful for Chelsea due to hamstring issues. Let us look at how Tuchel may set up his side at the Ramon Sachez Pizjuan that will host both the legs.
THE 3-4-3
The 3-4-3 has been Tuchel’s favoured system since joining Chelsea. Edouard Mendy is expected to start in goal. Andreas Christensen has been brilliant recently and may replace Thiago Silva at the heart of the defence. Ben Chilwell and Calum Hudson-Odoi may start on the flanks to add more spark to the attack.
Mason Mount, who featured from the bench against West Brom may start in place of Pulisic with Werner upfront. Kai Havertz may be given the opportunity ahead of Hakim Ziyech, who struggled at the weekend. Chelsea will look to get an away goal in this game to strengthen their chances of making it to the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 2014.
THE 3-5-2
The 3-5-2 is a slightly different formation from the usual 3-4-3 employed by Tuchel. This formation will see Havertz operating as a second striker alongside his German compatriot Werner with the vibrant Mason Mount operating between the lines. Chelsea’s biggest obstacle will be the veteran Pepe, whose leadership at the back was instrumental against Juventus.
At the back, Chelsea will need to watch out for the dangerous duo of Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Marega. With Chelsea expected to dominate possession, Porto will look to hurt them on the break like the Baggies managed to do spectacularly at Stamford Bridge. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta needs to get his boys back to their best both mentally and physically in just three days.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 is another alternative for Chelsea to choose a strong side from their vast squad. In this system, top scorer Olivier Giroud may start with Werner and Ziyech on the flanks. Reece James will look to create chances from out wide with his superb crossing. Jorginho and Kovacic will need to be wary of Sergio Oliviera’s threat, who is enjoying a fantastic season. Porto will be relieved due to the absence of Kante, who single-handedly destroyed Atletico Madrid’s midfield in the previous round.
Chelsea will surely be happy to have avoided the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and PSG in the quarters. But Porto will certainly be no pushovers and will fancy their chances of making it to the semi-finals for the first time since 2004 when they went on to win the competition.
