Kepa is handed a rare start by Thomas Tuchel with the former the man between the goalposts for Chelsea who have a dead rubber tie in the Champions League against Zenit.
Chelsea will hope for a return to winning ways in their midweek outing in Russia on the back of a defeat to local rivals West Ham United over the past weekend.
Rudiger earns rest, Sarr starts
Andreas Christensen retains his berth on the team sheet with the Dane joined by skipper Cesar Azpilicueta and Malang Sarr in the centre-back roles.
Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi are the wing-back options for the Blues with the likes of Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso concerns on the injury front.
Lukaku and Werner up top for the visitors
Mason Mount has his midfield partners in Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez the latter of whom will be expected to put out a good showing to inspire faith in Tuchel’s decision to sign him in the summer.
Leading the line for Chelsea are forward pairing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner with Kai Havertz following his return from an injury niggle featuring on the bench.
Here is how both teams line up for today’s Champions League fixture:
Zenit FC XI
📋 Our starting XI to take on @ChelseaFC! #ZENCHE #UCL pic.twitter.com/AYUfZbqIEb
— FC Zenit in English✨ (@fczenit_en) December 8, 2021
Chelsea FC XI
Your Chelsea side tonight! 👊@ParimatchGlobal | #ZenChe pic.twitter.com/Ug1UhLgYWv
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 8, 2021
