Chelsea just put in their best performance of the season by far yesterday, thrashing Wolverhampton Wanderers in the West Midlands, and they did it largely on the strength of their young players. However, the “kids are alright” theme didn’t include their huge $73 million investment, Christian Pulisic who went from the first team to an unused as a substitute.
Perhaps he will see some playing time, or he might even start again when the Blues host Valencia Tuesday night to begin their Champions League campaign. Pulisic could see some action because a.) the squad is still hit by the injury bug a bit and b.) the Blues may need to rotate the side a tad as they will be hosting table topping Liverpool (who are also in UCL action on this night) next weekend.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard praised a host of Chelsea players after the win yesterday, and the names he mentioned certainly give a glimpse into what he might do with his team selection going forward. Before we get to the starting XI prediction, let’s take a look at the team news for the Blues.
Central defender Antonio Rudiger faces a race to be fit as he picked up a groin injury in the big win yesterday.
Midfield maestro N’Golo Kante is not expected to recover in time for kickoff of this one while Italian defender Emerson Palmieri also sees his status in doubt for the UCL Group H clash.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction (4-3-3) vs Valencia (UCL Group Stage)
Willian Tammy Abraham Mason Mount
Christian Pulisic Jorginho Ross Barkley
Cesar Azpilicueta Tomori Andreas Christensen Marcos Alonso
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea vs Valencia FYIs
Kickoff: Stamford Bridge, Tuesday Sept 17, 8pm
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 52%, Draw 27%, Valencia win 21%
Odds: Chelsea win 17/20, Draw 5/2, Valencia win 31/10
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Valencia 1
Tammy Abraham, who was subjected to horrific online racial abuse early on this season, is the Premier League’s leading scorer, one ahead of Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero. Look for the West London side to lean on their in form forward, who will likely keep producing.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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