Chelsea FC are ready to kick-off their campaign in the Carabao Cup with their game against Barnsley later tonight. The Blues will be facing the Championship side Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup at their backyard, the Stamford Bridge. It is very likely for Lampard to make some changes to the side that faced Liverpool last weekend in the Premier League in a 2-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s men.
The likes of Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Fikayo Tomori are set to take their place in the starting lineup. Silva, Ziyech and Chilwell are less likely to feature in the game because of their injuries, whereas Christensen has been suspended following his red card against Liverpool. Christian Pulisic might be included in the matchday squad as he looks to recover from his injury.
Let us have a look at how Chelsea might lineup against Barnsley in the third round of Carabao Cup later tonight.
THE 4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 has been Lampard’s most used formation since becoming the manager of Chelsea. Such a lineup will be basically Chelsea’s second side, as Lampard will want to rest his main guns for the weekend. Ross Barkley and Rudiger might get their chance on the pitch and both look to rejuvenate their careers at Chelsea.
Willy Caballero will most probably be in between the stick for Chelsea as Arrizabalaga has been shambolic in goal, much to the fury of the Chelsea fans. The likes of Loftus-Cheek, Mount and Hudson-Odoi will be responsible for creating most of the chances in such a lineup. While Jorginho will dictate play from the midfield with the help of Barkley’s energy.
Tomori and Rudiger have a lot riding on their shoulders after the arrival of Thiago Silva this summer. Both the defenders will look to make it a point to Lampard ahead of Silva’s debut for Chelsea.
THE 4-3-3
With almost the same team, Lampard might use the 4-3-3 instead if he will want to attack from the onset. Kai Havertz hasn’t settled well into his life in the Premier League and Lampard might use this opportunity to give Havertz a chance to settle against weaker opposition. The energy of Barkley and Loftus-Cheek will be important to the Blues as Jorginho will play as ‘regista’ and will dictate the pace of the game.
If the midfielders don’t keep on running throughout the game, Jorginho might be exposed because of his lack of defensive abilities. The pace of Havertz and Hudson-Odoi will be pivotal for Chelsea to create chances as both the wingers will come inside as the full-backs will overlap. Jorginho, Tomori and Rudiger will have to be very careful about Barnsley pace on the counter in such a formation though.
THE 3-4-3
The 3-4-3 formation is used by Lampard when he faces bigger sides like Manchester United and Arsenal, where the opposition has a great front-line. Though very unlikely, to counter the pace of Barnsley’s attack, Lampard might be tempted to use this defensive formation. Looking at Chelsea’s defensive fragilities, this might be the solution to score goals using the wing-backs and also keep the backdoor shut with three centre-backs.
Kante and Barkley will have to be at their best though, as both the midfielders’ form will decide Chelsea’s fate.
