Chelsea predicted lineup vs Dinamo Zagreb

Chelsea’s quest to regain their European crown begins on Tuesday with a trip to Croatia to face Dinamo Zagreb.

A nervy win over West Ham was welcome relief from a tricky run of form that has plagued Chelsea’s start to the campaign, and the Blues cannot afford to let those underwhelming performances carry over into Europe.

Here’s how Thomas Tuchel could set up.

Ben Chilwell
Chilwell changed the West Ham game off the bench / Visionhaus/GettyImages

GK: Edouard Mendy – Tuchel has backed Mendy despite a tricky run of form, making it tough for the boss to drop him in favour of Kepa Arrizabalaga.

CB: Wesley Fofana – A solid debut from the Frenchman, who will be looking forward to his first taste of Champions League action.

CB: Kalidou Koulibaly – With Thiago Silva not travelling, Koulibaly will need to be the experienced head at the back for Chelsea.

CB: Marc Cucurella – Cucurella has had a solid start to life at Chelsea but now may need to prepare for a return to centre-back to make room for the West Ham match winner.

RM: Reece James – Fresh off signing a new contract to become the highest earning defender in Chelsea’s history, James will expect to start here.

CM: Mateo Kovacic – Tuchel is a big fan of Kovacic, who was nominated to face the press on Monday evening. That’s usually a sign a player will start.

CM: Jorginho – With N’Golo Kante still out, Tuchel may opt to preserve the legs of like-for-like replacement Conor Gallagher, although new signing Denis Zakaria will hope for some minutes as well.

LM: Ben Chilwell – Faced with the task of competing with Cucurella, Chilwell rose to the occasion against West Ham with a goal and an assist off the bench. He deserved a start.

AM: Mason Mount – Mount is soon expected to follow James in signing a bumper new contract. Owner Todd Boehly is an enormous fan.

AM: Raheem Sterling – Sterling is just one goal away from taking his Champions League tally to 25.

ST: Armando Broja – The youngster, who penned his own six-year contract earlier this week, made a big impact against West Ham and deserves the chance to show what he’s got from the start. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has travelled and could come off the bench.

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