Strongest Chelsea Lineup To Play Against PSG: Start Luiz And Ramires, Bench Lampard

French Ligue 1 Champions Paris St Germain host 2012 winner Chelsea at Paris in what promises to be an absolute blockbuster of an encounter on Wednesday night. Laurent Blanc’s team look hungrier than ever before and if memories are to be recalled the Parisians were knocked off in the quarter finals on away goals last year at the hands of Barcelona. Chelsea travel to France at the back of a disastrous defeat to Crystal Palace in the weekend which left a huge dent in their quest for the Premier League title.

Can Jose Mourinho with his tactical astuteness get his side over PSG and will they return to Stamford Bridge in the second leg with a crucial away goal? To answer all of the claims we still have to wait for these two heavyweights to take the pitch, but we here at Soccersouls provide you the best possible Chelsea lineup heading to Parc De Princes.

Possible Chelsea lineup vs PSG

Goalkeeper:

Petr Cech will be under immense pressure at Paris and with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani up front, the Czech International can only hope his defensive colleagues stand up to the occasion. Chelsea were hard done by Terry’s own goal at Selhurst Park and if the Blues repeat their horrific defending against PSG, be rest assured Laurent Blanc’s men won’t spare the London outfit.

Defenders:

Serbian bulldozer Branislav Ivanovic is expected to play at right back and he will have a job on his hands to stop the dynamic Ezequiel Lavezzi on the flanks. Cesar Azpilicueta has been Chelsea’s most improved player this season and the Spaniard has the biggest of stages to prove himself in the left back position, still keeping the experienced Ashley Cole out of the team. Both the Chelsea full backs must not leave space unmarked at the back while trying to overlap the wingers as PSG are one of the most devastating teams who can hit you on the counter. John Terry, after his horrific own goal on Saturday should take his place alongside Gary Cahill in the heart of the defense as the English duo would have to make sure they provide Ibrahimovic and Cavani very little space to work with.

Midfield:

Nemanja Matic is ineligible for the tie having featured with Benfica earlier in the competition, so Mourinho has to start Ramires and Frank Lampard in the middle of the park as the double pivot of his 4-2-3-1 setup. Oscar will start in his favourite number ten role while the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian will look to exchange positions having started out wide for the travelling side. The triumvirate has to make sure they are at their keep of their defensive discipline too, for it might be one of the games, which would be open from the beginning and no team enjoying the lion’s share of possession.

However, being an away game, Mourinho tends to start a defensive lineup which means David Luiz will be involved in the holding role. Luiz alongside Ramires could form the double pivot and Lampard having played in the weekend clash might be pushed to the bench.

Strike Force:

Given Fernando Torres’ horror show against Crystal Palace in the weekend, Mourinho should axe the Spaniard, but the absence of Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o will guarantee a starting spot for Torres, and having a knack of scoring crucial goals, it could be a blessing in disguise for Jose Mourinho.