Chelsea travel to the Bernabeu for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
The London giants have had a poor Premier League season and they suffered their 11th defeat of the campaign last weekend.
Hence, they are huge underdogs against Madrid on Wednesday but manager Frank Lampard will be aiming to defy the odds.
Here is how Chelsea are expected to line up against Real Madrid:
Goalkeeper: Lampard continued with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal in his first match as interim boss. The Spaniard is likely to be backed again ahead of Edouard Mendy, who has not played a single minute since the World Cup. Arrizabalaga made a couple of stellar saves in the round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund last month.
Defence: Reece James is a guaranteed starter at right-back. Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly should continue as the central defensive pairing against Madrid. At left-back, Ben Chilwell looks set to replace Marc Cucurella after his cameo off the bench against Wolves on Saturday. The England star has just put pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract at Chelsea.
Midfield: A three-man midfield has been Lampard’s preferred choice. Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic should be nailed-on starters for the Englishman. The duo have formed an impressive midfield partnership over the last month. They should be partnered by N’Golo Kante, who looks set to make his second start for Chelsea since recovering from a long-term hamstring injury.
Forward: Joao Felix, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling were the front three in the 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Lampard should stick with the same attacking combination. Felix has been getting into brilliant scoring positions without finding the net. The Portuguese will be hoping to score his first goal against Madrid in seven attempts.
Expected Chelsea line-up against Real Madrid
