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Football London
Football London
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Oliver Harbord & Alan Smith

Mateo Kovacic starts, Hakim Ziyech sub - Chelsea team Frank Lampard should pick vs Man United

Chelsea are back in Premier League action this weekend when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It's a big game for both clubs, with the Blues needing to get back on the winning path as they look to challenge for the title.

Frank Lampard's side will be coming off the back of a 0-0 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League in midweek, while United sealed an impressive 2-1 over PSG.

But what team should Lampard pick to take on the Red Devils this weekend? Our football.london writers have their say.

Oliver Harbord

After finally keeping a clean sheet, Lampard shouldn’t be making many changes, especially at the back.

Kurt Zouma had some rocky moments against Sevilla, however Lampard needs to build a partnership, and that could be the one with Thiago Silva.

There could be one change and that is the middle of the park, with Mateo Kovacic coming into the team over Jorginho.

Up top the Blues were toothless against Sevilla, however they were excellent against Southampton and the front four should be continued with.

Harbord’s team: Mendy; James, Zouma, Thiago Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Mount, Havertz, Pulisic; Werner.

Alan Smith

There is a suspicion that Frank Lampard could name an unchanged XI for the first time this season but that means the big challenge will be finding the right balance between defence and attack after the latter was compromised by the former against Sevilla.

Three at the back worked quite well in last season's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley but the head coach seems more settled with a 4-2-3-1 considering the new attacking pieces so he could stick with the same formula.

Kurt Zouma is likely to continue next to Thiago Silva at centre back despite a shaky performance in midweek, while it would not be a surprise to see Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic swap flanks.

The only other change would be to see Jorginho replaced by Mateo Kovacic but the vice-captain has been prominent throughout the campaign.

Smith’s team: Mendy; James, Thiago Silva, Zouma, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Mount, Havertz, Pulisic; Werner.

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