Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Djugardens for May 8

This is a Chelsea predicted lineup for their Europa Conference League clash with Djugarden. This is the second leg of the tie with the English team holding a pretty commanding 4-1 lead as they host their opponents at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca will have the liberty of taking some risks with this one but will certainly aim to avoid the complacency that saw them lose to Legia in the last round despite advancing on aggregate.

Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Djugardens in Europa Conference League Second Leg

How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently

Rob Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen share goalkeeper duties with the latter starting in cup and European competitions. The defensive line has been split between a clear A-team and B-team with the preferred lineup being Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, and Moises Caicedo. The rotation brings in Benoit Badaishile, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Josh Acheampong with left-back minutes being split since Malo Gusto went down with injury.

In midfield, we have seen a similar split with Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez the preferred pivot pairing. Reece James partners Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall otherwise, while Caicedo can move into the pivot as a tactical substitution when needed.

In the attack, Cole Palmer has once again cemented himself as the best choice attacking midfielder, Enzo has deputised there when needed. Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, and Pedro Neto share the minutes on the wing. Tyrique George is also a winger and can play there but recently his starts and minutes have been as a striker whenever Nicolas Jackson is rested.

Chelsea Recent Form & Tactics

The manager has remained stuck to his 4-2-3-1  formation. He recently adjusted things to be more of a 2-2-5-1 of sorts with a diamond of players in and around the box, allowing multiple bodies to crash the box on attacking plays. This did shift slightly in a clever change against Liverpool to a more standard 3-2-4-1 with Cucurella helping the defence while Madueke held width and caused problems for the Reds.

As the season has drawn on, Maresca’s tweaks have proven quite successful with the change from a box midfield to a diamond. The Blues have won each of their last four and have only suffered one defeat since the international break, which was a dead rubber against Legia, regardless. The goalscoring touch they displayed earlier this season is back and the defence is no longer as porous, marking a pretty promising turnaround at a pivotal point of the campaign.

Chelsea Injuries to Consider

According to PremierInjuries there are four senior absentees to worry about for Maresca. Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Marc Guiu, and Mykhailo Mudryk will definitely sit out for this one. In addition, Lavia isn’t in the squad for this competition and isn’t eligible to play at all.

Chelsea Predicted Lineup

GK – Filip Jorgensen

LB – Malo Gusto

CB – Benoit Badiashile

CB – Tosin Adarabioyo

RB – Josh Acheampong

DM – Reece James

DM – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

W – Jadon Sancho

AM – Enzo Fernandez

W – Pedro Neto

ST – Tyrique George