Frank Lampard will experience his first taste of playing an FA Cup game when Championship outfit Nottingham Forest visits Stamford Bridge this weekend in the third round of the competition.
Chelsea’s season has been quite a turbulent one so far with plenty of ups and downs. A mixture of impressive victories away from home and terrible home defeats make Lampard and his team unpredictable and inconsistent. The West London giants took all 6 points against fierce local rivals Arsenal and Tottenham but failed to beat Brighton, Southampton, and Bournemouth in their last 5 games.
A sluggish start to the New Year after being held at the Amex stadium by Brighton was another dent for them in the hunt for a top-four berth, though they still sit in 4th place with a five-point cushion.
The hectic festive season is likely to ensure heavy rotation for both the teams and Frank Lampard will be looking to make changes to his starting eleven which was held at the Amex on New Year’s Day. Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi is one of several Chelsea players who certainly expected to feature for the weekend game. Batshuayi has netted10 goals and assisted three more against lower-league sides in cup competitions and the 25-year-old is set to get the nod ahead of Tammy Abraham.
Pedro and Callum Hudson Odoi are also in line to replace Willian and Pulisic on the flanks while a few other changes are expected.
Chelsea’s Predicted Starting Line Up Vs Nottingham- Willy Caballero; Tariq Lamptey, Andreas Christensen, Marc Guehi, Emerson Palmieri; Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley; Pedro, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Michy Batshuayi
