Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Oliver Harbord

Frank Lampard takes N'Golo Kante risk and Mateo Kovacic in - Chelsea predicted team at Lille

Chelsea take on Lille this evening as they look for their first points of their 2019/20 Champions League campaign.

The Blues did not get off to a great start in the competition with a 1-0 defeat to Valencia at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.

The French side were also beaten, 3-0 by Ajax, meaning that it is a big game for both teams as they aim for their first victory.

With it being such a big game for the Blues, Frank Lampard could well risk N'Golo Kante, despite another hamstring injury stopping him from playing against Brighton on Saturday.

"He has trained this morning," Lampard said on Tuesday. "He got through training okay. He is one we still have to assess in the morning. So we are positive that he will be fit to play. In terms of the injury, no it doesn’t relate to that [the Europa League final].

"What that injury probably did do or the fall out off the back of that injury, regardless of whether he played that game or not with the injury, it meant he had a broken pre-season.

"So it is a slight domino effect where the main injury is now feeling good but he has got a couple of niggles and issues since that. A tackle at Man United in the first game that effected him on the ankle.

Premier League 2019/20 October fixtures

"It is a bit of bad luck in there as well. Everyone is working towards getting him regularly fit so he can play some continuous games. I am hoping that is coming really soon because obviously we need him."

With Mateo Kovacic having been on the bench on Saturday, it is likely he will come in for Ross Barkley, with Lampard going with the 4-3-3 formation.

That would mean Mason Mount pushes high up the pitch again, playing off the left, with Willian on the right and Tammy Abraham through the middle.

Fikayo Tomori has had an excellent few weeks in the heart of the Chelsea defence and will take his place next to Andreas Christensen once again.

Lampard will likely look to use Callum Hudson-Odoi, Michy Batshuayi and Christian Pulisic off the bench if the Blues are looking for more attacking impetus towards the end of the game.

Predicted Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Tomori, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Willian, Abraham, Mount.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.