Chelsea make the trip to San Siro for Tuesday’s Champions League encounter against AC Milan.
The Blues have registered three straight victories following the international break and this has included back-to-back 3-0 wins over Milan and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Manager Graham Potter heavily rotated his squad for the recent triumph over Wolves and he is expected to ring in the changes again with the regulars starting at San Siro.
Here is how Chelsea are expected to line up against Milan:
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga has made the position his own since Edouard Mendy’s rib injury. The latter has returned to full fitness but Arrizabalaga’s better distribution qualities have probably got him the nod over the Senegal international. Potter should stick with the Spaniard in goal.
Defence: Potter opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation against Wolves, but he could resort to the more familiar 3-4-3 set-up for the Rossoneri clash. Thiago Silva should feature in the middle of the back three after being completely rested at the weekend.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Trevoh Chalobah are the most likely candidates to partner him either side. Chalobah has a fascinating record, having never lost a game with Chelsea when he has started. The Blues won’t want the streak to end anytime soon.
Reece James only came on as a late substitute against Wolves. He is expected to start at right wing-back at San Siro tomorrow. Ben Chilwell could come in the left wing-back position ahead of Marc Cucurella, who played the entire 90 minutes against a struggling Wolves outfit.
Midfield: Potter has clearly stated that N’Golo Kante won’t be risked until he has fully got over his hamstring issue. The Frenchman has now suffered another setback. If Potter is to opt for a change, Jorginho could be replaced by Mateo Kovacic. The Italian was far from his best against Wolves and was easily dribbled past on a few occasions. Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s early substitution at the weekend probably means that he will partner Kovacic in midfield.
Attack: There is expected to be a major reshuffle with Conor Gallagher, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic all dropping to the bench. Mason Mount had his best showing of the season with two assists and he should be picked alongside Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who were unused substitutes against Wolves. Aubameyang has hit form, scoring in back-to-back games while Sterling is still Chelsea’s top scorer with four goals this campaign.
Expected Chelsea line-up against AC Milan
