Chelsea will start their Champions League campaign with an away trip to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening.
The Blues returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-1 triumph over West Ham United on Saturday, but their performance was far from convincing.
Chelsea were lucky to secure three points after the Hammers were denied a late goal by VAR. Manager Thomas Tuchel will surely want a much better display tomorrow.
Here is how Chelsea could line up against Dinamo Zagreb:
Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy has been disappointing between the sticks this campaign. He has been far from convincing with his shot-stopping and positioning, particularly from set-pieces. Despite this, we fancy Tuchel to back the Senegal star in goal ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chilwell returns at left wing-back
Defence: Tuchel played with a 3-1-4-2 formation against the Hammers, but we fancy him to revert to the usual 3-4-2-1 set-up. The central defence should see a solitary change with Thiago Silva being rested. Summer signings Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana could be partnered by Trevoh Chalobah.
Reece James should continue from his preferred right wing-back role, but we fancy a change on the opposite end. Ben Chilwell changed the game off the bench with a goal and an assist on Saturday. The £34.2 million-rated star should replace Marc Cucurella at left wing-back.
Midfield: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic started as the midfield three against the Hammers, but the combination was far from effective. Tuchel could revert to a two-man midfield to include another attacker. In our view, Jorginho and Kovacic could occupy those places. N’Golo Kante remains sidelined with a hamstring injury while new signing Denis Zakaria could make his debut off the bench.
Mount and Havertz start
Forward: Raheem Sterling has been one of the club’s bright sparks in attack with three goals and one assist from six games. He could feature behind the main striker alongside Mason Mount, who was only a substitute against the Hammers.
Christian Pulisic was hugely disappointing up front last weekend, and there were no surprises that he was taken off at the hour mark. Kai Havertz should replace him, having scored the late winning goal against West Ham, coming off the bench.
New signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been training with a protective mask for his fractured jaw, and he could possibly make his Chelsea debut in a cameo role.
Expected Chelsea line-up (3-4-2-1) vs Dinamo Zagreb
