The London club Chelsea had the narrowest victory against their Premier League rivals Liverpool recently and now, the team will be challenging Zinedine Zidane’s men, Real Madrid, in their next pre-season game. It was Gary Cahill, whose header in the 10th minute of the game made all the difference in the match.
On the other hand, Real Madrid faced a heavy 1-3 defeat at the hands of French Champions PSG. Although Zidane lined up youngsters in the game, PSG were firing all the cylinders through their senior squad, but a win is a win, no matter how or by how many. Chelsea, will be looking forward to replicate the same result, but they will be missing their midfield Maestro Cesc Fabregas, as he was sent off for his ruthless challenge on Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan.
There are some questions about the return of some of the senior players of Madrid as James Rodriguez, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric have returned, yet many are saying that they will be joining the squad in Real’s third game of the tour, i.e., against Bayern Munich.
The game is surely going to be a great one, so here, we give you a predicted lineup for Chelsea, that could face Real Madrid later today:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois-
The Belgian star was dropped by the Italian manager for the game against Liverpool, but it is expected that he might mark his return against the Champions League winners Real Madrid. Soon after Real failed to land David De Gea, it was reported that the side were chasing Courtois, but the Blues denied all the possibilities, hence, his presence in the game will be an interesting one.
Defence: Ola Aina; Terry; Cahill; Azpilicueta-
The 19-year-old London born defender, Ola Aina, was one of the brightest prospects for the side in the last couple of games and thanks to his versatility, he could operate the game from both the wings, but his true potential comes from the right side, and with Ivanovic failing to prove his worth, Aina might get a start again.
The centre back pairing of Cahill and Terry was supposed to be a deadly combination at one time, but with Terry ageing and failing physically, the duo failed badly last season, but we all know Conte’s record with ageing players, hence, we might see this pair working together more often this season.
The Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta will surely be lining up at the left hand side and will be looking to exploit Real’s defence from there.
Holding midfield: Matic; Oscar-
Matic, did a pretty good job against Liverpool last time out and since the Blues do not really have a great option for the spot, the Serbian will surely be starting the game against the Galacticos.
Conte will have to face a major setback in centre of the park as Cesc Fabregas was sent off against Liverpool, hence, the manager might use the Brazilian midfielder Oscar as a central midfielder.
Attacking Trio: Willian; Loftus-Cheek; Cuadrado-
Chelsea’s player of the year, Willian, gave an impressive display of his skills against Liverpool and showed why he deserves the spot ahead of everyone. On the other flank, the Italian manager might use the returning Juan Cuadrado, and as an attacking midfielder, the 20-year-old Ruben Loftus Cheek will be looking to exploit Real’s defence.
Striker: Michy Batshuayi-
The new signing Michy Bathuayi might start the game for the Blues this time ahead of Bertrand Traore, who failed to do anything concrete against Liverpool last time out.