Chelsea are inching towards another day out at Wembley and can take a major stride towards the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday evening.
The Blues haven’t won domestic silverware since their FA Cup triumph in 2018 and have endured a torrid run of near misses. They have lost their last six major finals at Wembley and will be desperately seeking to end their drought in the Carabao Cup.
A quarterfinal battle with League One outfit Cardiff City offers Chelsea an excellent opportunity to make the final four and edge towards redemption, although Enzo Maresca is likely to gamble with a much-changed starting lineup in Wales.
The Italian, whose recent outburst after victory over Everton has raised eyebrows, seems destined to rest the majority of his regular starters against Cardiff, with the club’s peripheral figures handed a valuable opportunity to impress.
Here is how Chelsea could line up in Tuesday’s critical encounter.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Cardiff (4-2-3-1)
GK: Filip Jörgensen—The 23-year-old hasn’t featured since the fourth round win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in which he conceded three during a chaotic affair. Something will have gone seriously wrong if he allows as many this Tuesday.
RB: Josh Acheampong—The versatile young defender has been moved between centre back and right back this season, but appears set to replace weekend goalscorer Malo Gusto against Cardiff.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo—Tosin endured a night to forget against Leeds United on his last start and seldom looks convincing in the heart of Chelsea’s defence. He will come up against an in-form Yousef Salech for Cardiff, the striker having scored seven in his last 10 games.
CB: Benoît Badiashile—Badiashile has looked impressive when healthy this season but his injury record means Chelsea can’t rely on him over the long-term. Still, Maresca must use the French defender when he can.
LB: Jorrel Hato—Marc Cucurella is one of the Chelsea stars in desperate need of a rest and that leaves the door ajar for summer signing Jorrel Hato. The young Dutchman is yet to entirely convince for the Blues, though.
DM: Moisés Caicedo—One of the few weekly starters to feature from the off, Caicedo is well-rested heading into the Cardiff clash having missed the previous three Premier League games through suspension.
DM: Andrey Santos—With Reece James and Enzo Fernández needing recovery time following a hefty workload in recent weeks, Santos should have the opportunity to catch the eye in Wales. He scored and assisted against Wolves in the previous round.
RW: Estêvão—The magical Brazilian regularly dazzles under the floodlights and looks primed to deliver against third-tier opposition. He’s averaging approximately a goal every four appearances during an impressive start in Chelsea colours.
AM: Facundo Buonanotte—Buonanotte has been used sparingly for Chelsea since his loan move, but he’s featured in both Carabao Cup matches this season—including scoring the winner against Lincoln City in the third round.
LW: Jamie Gittens—The Englishman scored a truly sensational strike against Wolves in the fourth round, but needs to show such signs of his enormous potential more frequently. Delivering against Cardiff is the bare minimum.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Cardiff: Wholesale Changes for Carabao Cup Quarterfinal.
