Thiago Silva in, Kai Havertz in: Strongest Chelsea lineup to face Stade Rennes

Chelsea will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, as they take a trip to France to face Stade Rennes in their fourth Group E encounter on Tuesday.

The Blues are coming off the back of a comfortable 2-0 win away at Newcastle United, and are top of their Group in the Champions League with 7 points from 3 games, tied with Sevilla. They defeated Rennes in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.

Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic were all absent in Chelsea’s last match against Newcastle. However they should be back for tomorrow’s game if Frank Lampard’s update is anything to go by

Pulisic’s case is trickier, with the club keen to manage his hamstring issue as perfectly as possible, so as to prevent the nagging injury from recurring anytime soon. He may be fit enough to make the squad, or may not be fit at all.

Strongest lineup

For the past few games, Frank Lampard has fielded what resembles the ideal formation he wants for this Chelsea side. N’golo Kante has been awesome at DM, with two attacking midfielders usually in support. Kovacic has started the last two games but I expect Havertz to get a start, as he should be fit enough.

Silva will also return to the lineup, most likely to replace Antonio Rudiger, who was solid against Newcastle. Werner deserves to rest, he needs to calm his head down. Callum Hudson-Odoi has earned a start in my opinion, and I see him starting alongside Tammy Abraham and Hakim Ziyech.

We will know more about the the news after Frank Lampard’s press conference today. But what is your take on this lineup?