The third round of the UEFA Champions League will start with group E opponents, Chelsea facing AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
The Blues struggled in every tournament and had a poor start to the season. Milan, on the other hand, is doing well, with just one loss thus far but a few draws where they didn’t expect it. The blues need to win this contest or else their chances of finishing in the top two in group E will further fade away.
Graham Potter’s men have drawn one and lost one game in the group stages and this match would be a must-win encounter. Chelsea will be high in spirits after their recent victory against league opponents Crystal Palace.
Conor Gallagher’s outstanding goal in the dying seconds of the game gave them a win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst pack.
Whereas, for AC Milan, the only defeat in the last four matches came at the hands of Napoli at home. Aside from the one loss, Rossoneri had five victories and three draws this season. Chelsea and Milan met each other five teams before this contest.
Let us now have a look at how Graham Potter might set up his Chelsea side against AC Milan:
4-2-2-2
Due to injuries, Marc Cucurella, Édouard Mendy, N’Golo Kante, and Chukwuemeka are all out for the hosts. Despite some having minor issues, they are not expected to feature on Thursday.
Conor Gallagher and Wesley Fofana will make the bench, whereas, Koulibaly will grab his spot in the starting XI. Rest all other players are expected to keep their place in the starting line-up.
