Chelsea’s probable lineup vs BATE Borisov: first start for young winger

Crystal Palace</a> and Maurizio Sarri is now one domestic fixture away from setting a record for the longest undefeated streak by a new Premier League manager.</p> <p>A big reason for the Italian’s feats is a luxury that he couldn’t afford at Napoli: changing almost his entire starting eleven while remaining competitive.</p> <p>Chelsea are soaring top of Group L in the Europa League; while, BATE Borisov lie bottom and the trip to Belarus looks another perfect opportunity to deploy some ancillary players.</p> <p>A fortnight earlier, The Blues beat the same opposition 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Ruben Loftus Cheek stole the headlines with a hat-trick, consequently being named the Europa League Player of the Week.</p> <p>Most fans will be tuning in to see if the midfielder can mirror such a performance. But who will join the young Englishman in the starting XI?</p> <h3 style="">GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga </h3><p> </p><p>Kepa has got the nod for Chelsea’s Europa League fixtures thus far. But at the halfway point in the group, and with qualification virtually secured, could Sarri be tempted to give Willy Caballero a run out?</p> <p>The Argentinean has been favored in the League Cup. Naturally, playing so fleetingly he looked rather rusty against Derby County last week and with a quarter-final beckoning a couple of extra appearances would keep him on his toes.</p> <p>However, the Chelsea faithful already adore Kepa and the Spanish stopper should start between the sticks on Thursday night. The Blues have a real chance of going all the way in the competition and there is no point chopping and changing the number one.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Defense - four changes to the back line </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-464040 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1055993564-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p> <h3 style="">RB: Davide Zappacosta </h3><p> </p><p>Zappacosta had an excellent game against BATE two weeks ago. He was disciplined in defense and got forward well – assisting Loftus Cheek’s first goal after just two minutes.</p> <p>The Italian impressed again in the League Cup and registered another assist – albeit via a wicked deflection off a Derby defender. Overall, he is the most in form player in Chelsea’s second string back line.</p> <p>Some extra motivation for the Italian is the poor form of Cesar Azpilicueta.  Another good performance from Zappacosta and he would edge slightly closer to usurping the Spaniard in the pecking order.</p> <h3 style="">LB: Emerson Palmieri </h3><p> </p><p>The ex-Roma man has spent most of his time at Stamford Bridge in the shadows. He has rarely featured since his arrival at the beginning of last campaign and a couple of recent outings highlighted why.</p> <p>The defender let Alexei Rios sneak in behind him for BATE’s goal two weeks ago – the first Chelsea had conceded in the tournament – and he was again disappointing against Derby County.</p> <p>Positionally he looks a liability and is currently miles behind Marcos Alonso in the Chelsea hierarchy.</p> <h3 style="">CB: Gary Cahill </h3><p> </p><p>The veteran Englishman will slot back into the side. He had little to do against BATE two weeks ago but was disappointing in the League Cup. He must take it upon himself to ensure the ancillary back line make a better account of themselves on this occasion.</p> <h3 style="">CB: Andreas Christensen </h3><p> </p><p>The Dane didn’t have a great game in a porous back line against Derby. He was subsequently subbed off for David Luiz after about an hour. Not in favor with the new manager and will have to do a lot more in fleeting appearances to force his way back into the side.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Midfield - who starts next to Loftus Cheek? </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-464039 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1053471138-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389" srcset="https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1053471138-850x560.jpeg 850w, https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1053471138-768x508.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px"></p> <h3 style="">CM: Cesc Fabregas </h3><p> </p><p>At the wrong side of 30 and with so much competition for a place in the central midfield area, the cups are Cesc’s best chance of minutes these days.</p> <p>The veteran Spaniard will hope to dictate things from the centre. His experience and savvy should shine through against the European minnows.</p> <h3 style="">CM: Ross Barkley </h3><p> </p><p>It’s hard to say whether Barkley or <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://www.whoscored.com/Players/93894/Show/Mateo-Kovacic">Mateo Kovacic</a> will be preferred for Thursday night’s fixture. It may be more pertinent to predict who will be favored for Sunday’s clash against Everton. If one of the two has started midweek then the other has started that weekend.</p> <p>Barkley was poor against Palace; while, Kovacic impressed coming off the bench. However, Barkley had been on fire up to that point so it’s a tough call for the manager.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Ethan Ampadu should return from injury to make the bench.</p> <h3 style="">CM: Ruben Loftus Cheek </h3><p> </p><p>The man everyone will be tuning in to see. The 22-year-old was electric when the sides met a fortnight ago. He scored twice within ten minutes and eventually bagged a hat-trick.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hat-trick hero! ⚽️⚽️⚽️</p> <p>Congratulations to <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@ChelseaFC midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/UEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#UEL</a> Player of the Week! 👏👏👏<a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/UEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#UEL</a> <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/POTW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#POTW</a> <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/hankookreifen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@hankookreifen <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://t.co/f0uXGwSVvJ">pic.twitter.com/f0uXGwSVvJ

<p>— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/EuropaLeague/status/1055818679110324224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>October 26, 2018</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>He came off the bench to score again that weekend versus Burnley and such goalscoring feats will have delighted both his manager for club and country. <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://playingfor90.com/2018/10/30/form-chelsea-duo-great-news-england-gareth-southgate/">Gareth Southgate</a> lauded the youngster as the complete midfielder during the World Cup but did drop in that he needed to add goals to his game.</p> <p>Loftus Cheek also started against Derby. He may not have found the back of the net but he was again Chelsea’s best player on the night.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Attacking midfield and striker - first start for a youngster </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-464041 size-large" src=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1053492124-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p> <h3 style="">AM: Callum Hudson-Odoi </h3><p> </p><p>Thursday night seems the perfect opportunity to give the precocious talent his first start for the seniors (excluding the Community Shield).</p> <p>Willian needs a rest after starting 11 on the bounce, Pedro ran his socks off last weekend, and it’s likely <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://www.premierleague.com/players/4503/Eden-Hazard/overview">Eden Hazard</a> will only play a bit part as he returns to full fitness.</p> <p>The Chelsea academy graduate had an impressive pre-season and fans would love to see him unleashed in Belarus. He was arguably Chelsea’s best player in the Community Shield and a leap of faith by Sarri could only galvanize the club’s hordes of young talent.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Happy 18th birthday, Callum Hudson-Odoi! 🎉😄 <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://t.co/2ZiveSiqRK">pic.twitter.com/2ZiveSiqRK

<p>— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1060082929206943744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 7, 2018</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>The youngster turned 18 on Wednesday and a good performance against BATE could see him turn from a boy to a man in the blue jersey.</p> <h3 style="">AM: Pedro </h3><p> </p><p>Pedro was fantastic last weekend. He covered every blade of grass on the pitch and was rewarded with a goal and an assist for his endeavour.</p> <p>As stated already, Willian will likely be rested for the outing meaning Pedro’s experience may be needed to see off the Belarusians and secure a place in the knockouts.</p> <p>Of course, Sarri could make a slight tactical reshuffle and move Loftus Cheek into a more advanced position with numerous options available in the central midfield area.</p> <p>Also, don’t be shocked if Hazard’s name appears in the starting lineup. An hours football may be viewed as beneficial as he returns from a back injury.</p> <h3 style="">CF: Olivier Giroud </h3><p> </p><p>Olivier Giroud missed the last couple of games through muscle fatigue. Sarri claimed it was nothing serious and one can surmise he will return to the side for Thursday night’s encounter.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Chelsea player ratings vs Crystal Palace: good day for Spanish duo" data-url="https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/05/chelsea-player-ratings-vs-crystal-palace-good-day-blues-spanish-duo/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/08/chelseas-probable-lineup-vs-bate-borisov-first-start-young-winger/"https://playingfor90.com/2018/11/05/chelsea-player-ratings-vs-crystal-palace-good-day-blues-spanish-duo/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Chelsea player ratings vs Crystal Palace: good day for Spanish duo </a> </div> </div> <p>The manager recently stated he wants Giroud to add goals to his game and the World Cup winner won’t have a much better opportunity to get on the score sheet. Alvaro Morata is enjoying a purple patch for the club meaning a good performance is vital for the Frenchman.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">